Shanty Town
by Qym
Summary: The waiting room was desolate - yes that seemed to be the right word. The slanting shacks and discarded television sets were much more interesting than the people sitting around and waiting for something to happen. Perhaps a better word was boring - and it was driving Kim Possible crazy. AU Kigo
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

She gripped the edge of the sink with one hand and closed her eyes. You can do this, she thought to herself. After all – anything's possible for a Possible. This did little to quell the nervous churnings of her stomach, but it did steel her resolve. She opened her eyes and jammed her electric toothbrush into her mouth. It was a rote habit to draw the vibrating bristle over each tooth – rear, to top, to front – which unfortunately gave her ample time to think.

There was a good deal that could go wrong in the morning. Her biggest worry was her alarm clock. She'd been meaning to get a new one, as her current monstrosity was somewhat like her younger brothers. It could be counted upon to be annoying, and sometimes it was responsible, but for the most part she wouldn't bet money on it working in her best interest. On any other morning she would have wholeheartedly relied on her internal clock, which had served her more faithfully than any electronic... but this upcoming morning would allow for no mistakes.

When she realized that she had scrubbed each tooth and was now just letting the toothbrush splatter excess froth around her mouth, she switched it off and spat into the sink. Opening the cabinet, she tugged out her bottle of mouth wash. It wasn't a part of her usual routine, but she wanted her smile tomorrow to be dazzling.

Her Kimmunicator jangled from the bedroom beyond her bathroom. Swishing the liquid through her mouth, she mentally took a bet on who was contacting her. It was probably one of two people, she determined. Either it was her mother calling to wish her good luck, or Ron to psyche her up. Part of her wished that her father would be the one calling, but he had taken it as a personal offense when she'd announced her plans.

When her mouth was clean to her specifications, Kim wiped her mouth on a towel and trotted into her bedroom. The Kimmunicator could wait. She dug through a few drawers and pulled out a pair of loose basketball shorts and a tank top. Her apartment got a little too toasty, even as the winters of Go City dipped below freezing. She neatly folded her dirty clothes and stacked them in the laundry basket.

Finally, when she was snuggled up under a comforter and propped up by her pillows, she reached for her Kimmunicator and checked her missed call. Her mother. She sighed deeply – on the one hand she wanted to get last minute advice from her mother, but on the other her mother was likely to only add to the stress of the event. But if she didn't ring back, then it was likely the woman would call again and again until Kim picked up.

"Kimberly!" Ann Possible would have beamed through the phone if she could. Instead she settled on infusing her voice with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. "I hope you're on your way to sleep, young lady."

"Yes, mom. Actually curled up in bed right now."

"Oh! Well, I'm glad I caught you. It's good you're getting a full night's sleep. Do you have the directions for tomorrow?"

"I do." Kim glanced over at her bedside table. A folded up piece of paper stuck up out of a drawer. She reached over to touch it, to make sure it was real and there. "They're sitting right beside me."

"Good. Now remember…"

As Ann droned on through the bits of advice she had already given her daughter, Kim settled her eyes on the ceiling and began running through what she had to do in the morning. The first step was making sure she was awake on time. She would ask Ann about that as soon as Ann finished her helpful tirade. Step two was, bypassing the obvious necessities of getting ready for the day, making her way to the nearby subway station. The E3 left every fifteen minutes. Though she was building in enough emergency time, she hoped to not miss the first one.

"…and remember that they want you to succeed just as much as you want to succeed."

"Hey, mom, can you do me a favor?"

"Anything for you, you know that."

"So not the drama or anything, but could you call me at six thirty, just to make sure I'm awake?"

"Of course, honey."

"Thanks. Just haven't had the heart to get rid of this old piece of junk."

"You could always ask us for one…"

Kim shook her head slowly. Though her parents had always made it clear that they would financially support their offspring, Kim wanted to be as independent as possible. Of course she accepted the occasional spot of help when she was struggling, but she didn't work two jobs to ask her parents for a new alarm clock. It just wasn't on the top of her list of priorities.

"I'll be okay, mom. Really. I normally wake myself up at six anyways, alarm or no alarm. It's just I don't want to take chances tomorrow."

"You're going to be fine."

"I know." Kim feigned a yawn, hoping the simple noise would alert her mother that the conversation should end.

"Listen to me blathering on when you're probably as ready as you'll ever be." Ann mused. "You've always been that way, even when you were a little girl. You probably don't remember it, but you started begging me to let you go to school when you were just three years old."

Kim did actually remember that and indulged her mother with a small chuckle. "I'm glad that some things never change."

"Just show them how great you are. They'd be foolish to pass you up."

Underlying her mother's words Kim sensed an anxious expectation. Her parents had always wanted her to do well, and were there for her when she failed – but despite their words, their support had always been tinged with a covert disappointment. It was as if they expected more from her and could only blame themselves when she couldn't do something as well as they dreamed.

"I know, mom." Kim insisted. Her prediction, it seemed, was coming true. The pit of anxiety in her stomach was widening and deepening with every passing second.

"Well, I'm proud of you no matter what. And so is your father."

A moment of silence passed between them before Kim spoke. "That's not entirely true."

"Oh, he'll get over it. He's got two rocket scientists starting college next fall. He's got to let me have one doctor. Otherwise it wouldn't be fair, would it?"

Kim blinked, suddenly aware of sparse moisture lining her eyes. Her success just wasn't enough, she realized. It probably never would be. James Possible would always secretly be disappointed that she didn't like the math and engineering that went with his field. Sometimes she wondered if she should have even pursued medical school, although it truly was her passion. After spending her teenage years helping people around the globe, it felt like a natural transition: from helping people to helping people.

"You're right." Kim kept her voice steady.

"Now get to bed. I love you."

"Love you, too."

Kim disconnected the call and tossed the Kimmunicator to the side. It landed next to her pillow, just beside her alarm clock. Why, she wondered, did Wade build such a brilliant machine, but neglect such a simple function as an alarm?She sighed and wriggled down under the sheets. It took a while – approximately forty-one minutes and twenty seconds by her count – but she eventually drifted off to sleep.

x-x-x

Her eyes opened and she felt like she hadn't slept at all. She bit back a groan and rolled over to look at her alarm clock. It was five until six. Rolling her eyes, she turned the alarm off before it could ring and pulled back the covers. Once she was free of her bed sheets, she pulled them up and tugged out the wrinkles.

In the shower she ran over what she wanted to talk about. Though she wanted to expound upon her years as a teen hero, her mother insisted that it was more important that she discuss the time she'd spent shadowing doctors at the hospital, or that internship she'd had the previous summer with the local family doctor. That felt too average, she thought – but then again, Ann had done it before, and had made it into one of the country's best medical schools.

She toweled herself off and returned to the mirror. Her mantra ran through her head. She could do anything. Less than assured, she traipsed to her closet and sorted through the various clothings therein until she found an outfit that appealed to her: a form-fitting black pencil skirt, a white button up blouse with poofing sleeves, and a pair of appropriate heels. She tugged the clothing on and returned to the mirror to debate hairstyles. Hair down was more attractive, but – she tugged her hair back from her face into a ponytail – up-dos tended to be more formal.

Her Kimmunicator rang incessantly and she darted to pick it up. The walls of her apartment were thin and she would hate to unnecessarily disturb her neighbors. Ann was glad to find her awake and thankfully wasted none of Kim's time. Kim dug out a simple dark purse and tucked her belongings into it, the Kimmunicator included.

She paused at the front door and reminded herself again that nothing was impossible for a Possible. Nodding firmly, she exited her apartment and locked the door behind her.

x-x-x

"You did it!"

Kim held the Kimmunicator away from her ear. Ron's exuberance, though appreciated, was louder than expected. When he quieted, she returned the phone to its original resting place. "I did. I think I really did."

"That's the bomdiggity."

"Have I ever told you how much I'd hoped you'd grow out of that saying?"

He laughed wholeheartedly. "Meet me tonight for drinks. On me this time!"

She rolled her eyes. The day that Ron Stoppable paid for his own drinks was the day that she shaved her head. "We don't even know if I got in…"

"Wow." Ron was raising his eyebrows, Kim could just tell. "Way to take something mega awesome and bring it down to boresville. Not today Ms. Possible! Meet me at Bonnie's at eight."

"Does it have to be Bonnie's?" Kim groaned.

"Hey – stop complaining. We get discounted drinks, remember?"

"I thought you were taking me out to celebrate…?"

"I am, but you gotta remember the Ron-man's budget." He wheedled. "Besides, she runs the only bar in town that let's Rufus in."

"He's a health hazard waiting to happen." Kim hedged.

"Fine…" Ron's voice dripped with overdramatic disappointment. "Where do you want to go?"

"Look, if it matters that much to you, let's just go to Bonnie's."

He pumped his fist into the air and let out a hearty, "Booyah!"

"Ron?"

"Yes?"

"Grow up, will you?"

"No thanks. You've done more than enough of that for both of us, my dear Possible."

"How is it that you're graduating?"

"I've had the best tutor in Go City." He boasted. "Besides, I had some hot lady professors. Nobody can resist my charms."

She snorted. "Well, try to keep your charms in your pants tonight, okay?"

"But- but what if there's…"

"No 'buts,' Ron. If this is going to be a celebration of me making it through the world's toughest medical school interview, then I demand you don't spend it with your tongue down some chick's throat."

He sighed. "Gotta kill the fun, don't you?"

"I'll see you later, Ron."

He grunted in reply, so she hung up and flopped back onto her bedspread. It was over, she thought with relief flooding her. She'd been on time – ten minutes early in fact, and that was even after getting lost once. No matter how many years she'd spent in the city, she always managed to find a wrong turn to take. The interviewers seemed to love her, and they were just as interested in her adventuring as they were in her work experience.

By her determination, the school was a perfect fit for her. All that she needed was for the board of admissions to give her their approval. Please, she begged her ceiling, give me this one thing and I promise that I won't waste the opportunity. She rolled onto her stomach and stared at the Kimmunicator. She ought to call her mom and tell her how things went.

Instead she went to her kitchenette and made herself a sandwich. Her mother could wait. She'd probably bring up all sorts of little things, and Kim was in no mood to hear about reality. Ann would likely critique the manner in which Kim spoke, or tell her that things didn't go as well as she thought they had. Just a little while longer on cloud nine – that was what Kim wanted.

x-x-x

"K.P."

Ron drew her attention to a small booth. He jumped up to hug her tightly when she approached. She was pleasantly surprised to find Monique with him. She too hugged Kim and offered congratulations.

"Just so we're all clear, I only had an interview. I won't know their decision for another couple months."

"Psh." Monique flipped her hand. "Girl, who would turn away the Kim Possible?"

Kim felt that odd twinge of expectation again. She swallowed, trying to remove the lump building in her throat. "So what are you doing all the way out here in Go City?"

"I was looking at transferring into the university." Monique offered by way of explanation. She dug her fingers into the bowl of bar nuts. "I figured it was about time."

Kim nodded. Monique had initially decided to skip on the whole college experience, but found that jobs without a degree just didn't put her where she wanted to be. She'd signed up for courses at Middleton's community college, and Kim was glad that her friend was finally looking to move up to a more prestige school.

"I ran into her down in the quad." Ron flagged down a waitress. "Head's up, good lookin' lady."

Kim cut him off before he could really get started. "I'll have a screwdriver."

While the other two placed their orders and flashed their IDs, Kim glanced around the bar. With a little bit of luck, the bar's namesake wouldn't be around. She practically groaned when the other woman stared directly back at her. Once eye contact was made, it would be impossible to avoid some sort of nicety. Bonnie stood and stalked over to their table.

"Well look who's here."

Kim couldn't help but eye Bonnie's low cut teal blouse. She knew, instinctively, that Ron was mirroring her and the thought made her want to laugh. Had Bonnie been any other woman, she and Ron might have had to fight over who got first dibs. But the fact remained: though they had grown up significantly since high school, Bonnie was still in essence Bonnie.

"Hey, Bonnie." Ron greeted. He was unabashed in his survey of her figure.

She soaked in the attention and turned to Kim. "Hardly see you around anymore."

"I was pretty busy studying for the MCATs." Kim kept her eyes on Bonnie's face. She had gone down the path of checking Bonnie out before and it had ended poorly. So poorly in fact, that she'd woken up in Bonnie's bed.

"Did you get in, then?" Bonnie intercepted the waitress as the woman tried to deliver the table's drinks. She informed the woman that the round of drinks was on the house and set about giving each person his or her order. The dim light glimmered off of her wedding band.

Kim shook her head. "Not yet. But I did well at my interview today."

Things between them since high school had become civil enough. Despite Bonnie's open hostility during their final semester, something had changed. Bonnie was missing from school for close to a week and when she returned she had almost felt like a different person. Though Kim would never call Bonnie her friend, the other woman's jibes at her seemed half-hearted and just for show. The month after graduation, Bonnie had landed what she'd always hoped for: a rich older gentleman willing to give her money. He'd certainly had enough of it, and it was with that money that Bonnie had opened her bar. She was no longer openly hostile to Kim – the competition, as she saw it, was over. Kim was in college and she was taken care of.

"Well congratulations on that." Bonnie saw Kim's eyes flicker to her wedding band and turned her attention back to Ron. Ron was an easier target.

"I'll see you later."

Ron watched Bonnie slink away from the table, his eyes transfixed on the sway of her hips. "Is it just me or does she keep getting hotter?"

Monique shrugged. "Easy there, tiger."

"Married, Ron. She's married." Kim reminded him.

"Didn't stop you, did it?"

She flushed. "That was a mistake. How many times do I have to tell you that? She got me drunk."

Monique sipped her drink. "Seems to me that she's got everything she wants and can do whatever she wants. I don't think being married stopped any part of her spoiled behavior."

"Exactly." Kim nursed her drink. "Can we stop talking about her and start celebrating? I'm tired of Bonnie always looming over and stealing the spotlight."

"Ah, but she does it so well." Ron sighed wistfully. He seemed to forget the torture she had inflicted upon him in high school.

By the end of the night, Kim had to wrangle Ron from the bar. He said he was going to use the restroom, but she caught him meandering towards Bonnie. Through an exchange of fierce whispers, she reminded him how awkweird it was to wake up next to their childhood rival and dragged him out onto the street with Monique's help.

By the time she got home, she was thoroughly exhausted. _Tomorrow_, she promised herself. She would call her mother tomorrow. She managed to tug her heels off and stumble into bed, but couldn't bring herself to drag on pajamas or to slide under the covers. Her mouth slightly agape, she fell asleep.

x-x-x

Zombie-like in the morning she sat up and rubbed her face. Her head, despite her expectations, felt just fine. She should have had a headache, if not some mild form of a hangover. But she wasn't going to argue with her body. If it wanted to feel great, then she was going to let it. She deserved it. Kicking her legs out over the ground, she got up from the bed and practically floated to the bathroom.

Approaching the mirror, she rubbed her hands on her face. She still had her make up on, she found with a ripple of distaste. Blech, she thought. It always felt so disgusting to wake up in the same state that she fell asleep in. As she reached for her toothbrush, she glanced into the mirror again and her hand halted in its journey.

There was a lump on her bed. A human lump. Had she brought someone home with her, she wondered. But she could remember no such thing. Monique was staying at Ron's place overnight. Kim knew as much because she had left the pair there before continuing home. So who was the lump on her bed?

She rubbed her eyes. It was too early to deal with something like this, especially after a night of drinking. She'd have to deal with it sooner or later, though, so she might as well see what she was up against. I hope it's not someone ugly, Kim prayed as she approached the bed. Her heart hammered but crashed to a stop when she finally got a good look at the person on her bed.

A brilliant light burst into existence next to her face. She shouted and toppled over, tripping on the foot of her bed and scrambling backwards towards the bathroom.

"Connectivity problem detected." The light pulsated as an ethereal voice rang through the room. "Connectivity problem detected."

Kim pinched herself hard on the arm. This had to be some sort of mad dream. "What's going on?"

The light flickered again as more words entered the room seemingly from nowhere. "Greetings. We apologize for the inconvenience, customer, but there has been a connectivity problem."

"I gathered." Kim managed. She staggered to her feet. Just how much had she had to drink last night? "That's not what I meant."

"We thank you for your patience while we determine the cause, rectify the problem, and then verify results."

"Seriously. What's the sitch?"

"My apologies." The voice repeated. "Thank you for your patience. I am #4315, on-site technician. How may I be of service?"

"On-site technician." Kim stumbled closer and reached towards the orb.

"I do not recommend that course of action."

Kim withdrew her hand automatically. "What are you a technician for? What's going on?"

4315 pulsated again. "Your soul has been disconnected from the server."

Kim stared down at her body. "My body is a server?"

"We apologize for the inconvenience."

"You've already said that."

"My apologies. I am not used to such direct contact with customers." 4315's tone had thus far been bland, but Kim detected a small amount of sadness. It was brushed aside, though. "Problem logged: #52."

"What's problem 52?"

"I am unsure of how to explain it."

Kim cleared her throat. This was some sort of whacky out of body experience – a dream of some sort. There was no other explanation for the craziness she was currently going through. It was easier to process once she realized that.

"So how soon can you fix problem 52?" Her voice sound bemused. "Until I can – you know – pop back inside?"

"Two days. We will have our technician working on your case as soon as we can."

"So I'm just supposed to sit here for two days? I have things to do." Kim argued. It was odd to argue with a pulsating dot of white light, but Kim wasn't sure what else to do. Perhaps, because she was dreaming, she should try jumping out the window and going for a fly.

"Negative." 4315 responded. The pulse of light began to grow and change form. It halted only when it was a door just taller and wider than Kim. "Please enter."

"Where will I go?" Kim was suddenly apprehensive. Just because it was a dream, didn't mean it was a good dream. It might be a nightmare that would begin as soon as she touched that white thing.

"The waiting room, where all souls awaiting assistance go."

"And if I refuse?"

"You will slowly dissipate without a host. Already you are fraying."

Kim glanced down at her body and noted that her edges were hazy. She gulped and walked towards the light. For a split second it was unbearably hot, but then she took another step and found herself on black and white linoleum tiles. She found herself in a small room. There was a row of seats on her left and right, but the wall in front of her was broken and crumbling. The light appeared at her side.

"Please take a manual from the coffee table and peruse it at your leisure. We also ask that you sign a waiver."

With a slight pop, a clipboard was in Kim's hands. She read through it quickly and squinted. "What does this mean – a substitute soul?"

"Without a soul, your body will appear lifeless. A soul powers the heart and brain, you see. A substitute soul does nothing but maintain your body's natural functioning."

"Without it, they'll bury me." Kim realized. She signed her name across the bottom. "So they'll just think I'm in a coma?"

"It is likely."

"So just two days, right?" Or, Kim figured, just until she woke up from this strange dream. She wondered if Ron would be willing to interpret it for her.

"We can make no guarantees…" Kim wondered for a second whether there was some sort of legal action one could take against whatever this was. "However we will work diligently to rectify your situation. Do you have any further questions?"

Kim scratched her head. "I guess not."

"If you think of further questions, please feel free to ring the bell."

The orb pulsated once more and then was gone. Kim picked up a manual from the coffee table, which automatically changed at her touch. The cover went from blank to displaying a six digit number. She took a seat in one of the plastic chairs and began to read. _What a boring dream_, she thought.

The first portion of the manual was dedicating to quelling fears. It reminded her that most problems were temporary and the worried soul would be returned to its server without further ado. She flipped through the pages, disregarding the advice it wanted to give and sorted through the last seventy or so pages, which was a detailed list of common problems. At the fifty-second problem, she paused and read the passage multiple times.

"Doesn't matter how many times you read it, Princess." A voice startled Kim out of her concentration. "Won't make any more sense than it does now."

Kim stared at the lithe woman leaning on the broken wall. The woman was about a head taller than she was, with decadent black hair and a pasty green pallor. She closed the manual and tucked it under her arm.

"I suppose it doesn't matter. The dream'll be over sooner or later, right?"

The woman snorted and tossed her hair, quite like a rambunctious horse was wont to do. "Sure. This is a dream."

"Isn't it?"

"I hate to break it to you, but you aren't in Kansas anymore."

"I was never in Kansas."

The woman rolled her eyes and stood hands akimbo. "Come on, then. Grab your dumb manual and follow me."

"No. The little white orb thing said I should wait here."

"He meant here, too." The woman seemed quite stingy with her patience. She gestured to the world beyond the wall. "There's too many of us to fit inside this dinky room. Come on. They'll talk to you through the manual if they have to tell you anything."

Kim wrinkled her nose. "How do I know I can trust you?"

"It's just a dream right?"

"What's your name?"

"You can just call me Shego." The woman gestured once more for Kim to follow. When Kim did not comply, Shego tossed her hand into the air and shrugged. "Do what you have to."

Though Kim had initially decided to refuse Shego's offer, she found that she didn't want to be alone. She leapt to her feet and rushed after the taller woman. "What is this place?"

"As I'm sure you were told, Pumpkin, this is the waiting room." Shego spread her arms over the world before them. "Everything the light touches," she added sarcastically, "will someday be yours."

Kim stared out at the dismal scene before her. The ground beneath their feet was some sort of fake Astroturf, and the sky above was the color that Crayola labeled as sky blue. It wasn't quite right, Kim thought, but it was close. What she initially thought was the sun, she noticed, was actually a gigantic light bulb set against the horizon. The land before her was littered with shacks and shanties and discarded television sets.

"Thanks for the offer, but…"

"Do you have a better one?"

Kim shrugged defensively. "This is my dream. I can expect more from it."

"Lemme know how that works out for you."

Kim frowned. "I will."

"Good."

"So this is the waiting room?"

"Technically." Shego began walking down towards the ramshackle buildings. "We like to call it Shanty Town."

"And what are you? The welcoming committee?"

"Something like that."

As they approached, forlorn faces poked out of windows and Kim came to notice people lying on the ground, hunching in doorways, and skulking in shadows. A few came close enough to leer at the traveling pair, but most kept their distance. Shego spread her arms wide and gestured to the buildings around them.

"So here we are, Princess. Take your pick. Most of 'em are empty, and you can take a television set from the streets. Have a nice stay."

Before Kim could react, Shego flicked her fingers as a replacement for saying good-bye and strode back off down the road. Kim hesitated in the middle of the street, staring at the shacks that stood like drunken squirrels. With Shego next to her, things hadn't been so overwhelming – but now that she was alone, she had no idea what this dream was leading to, no idea what should come next. She waited a moment more, casting dubious glances at her surroundings.

Well_,_ she thought, I might as well do as that strange woman said_._ She squared her shoulders and approached one of the sagging shanties. After a quick knock brought no resident forth, she twisted the doorknob and stepped inside. Unfortunately the inside was just as desolate as the exterior. The slatted walls were mostly grey, save for streaks of brown and green along the ceiling and floor. A lowly cot waited in the corner. There was no other furniture was present, save for a dully ticking clock hanging crookedly just above the bed.

Light from outside beat in through a solitary window. Kim took the cot's sole blanket and did her best to drape it over the window to block as much of the light as she could. There were nails beaten into the wall around the frame that she forced the blanket to cling to. The effect was a much darker room.

"This will do." Kim found that talking alleviated some of the stress she was feeling. Perhaps this was just a dream, but it was quickly turning into some sort of nightmare. "Not quite home, but it'll do."

She went to the cot, tossed her manual to the foot, and sat down. Her fingers dipped into the thin mattress and she let her eyes rove the room. So, she thought, just two days of this? So not the drama. She'd pick up one of those abandoned televisions in a bit – though what they'd show she hadn't the slightest clue. Perhaps the waiting room had cable. What else were the people here supposed to do? Leaning back against the wall, she let her eyes slide closed. She wasn't tired, but this was the first real break she'd had in years, even if it was a dream.

* * *

**A/N: **I can't promise an exact update schedule for this, but chapters should be posted fairly regularly until its completion. I know this is an odd concept, but bear with me. You might actually like it. And yes, there will be some Kigo loving later. Also, if you hadn't guessed, this is set in an alternate universe where the biggest difference is that Kim never encountered Shego whilst doing the hero thing. Leave your thoughts :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Kim's eyes fluttered open after what she assumed was a delightful night's sleep. She was mildly surprised to find herself slumped against the wall in that dismal shack she had dreamt about. It was unusual, she thought, to sleep in a dream and awaken in the same position. Her dreams had never been so fluid before, so unchanging.

She twisted to look at the clock behind her and furrowed her brow. Somehow, instead of the eight hours she assumed had passed, it had merely been ten minutes. She wiped at her face, easing her fingers over her eyes and glanced at the clock again. It told her the same time. What an odd place, she determined. Despite the shortness of her nap, she felt refreshed and stood up. A quick glance out the window affirmed for her that nothing had changed, except for the position of the other persons loafing around.

A memory flashed through her mind from her childhood – curled up against Ann with a quilt tucked around their bodies – Ann's mouth just above her ear with a book cracked open in front of her – You're in the Doldrums, wailed a voice that sounded far away… The Doldrums, my young friend, are where nothing ever happens and nothing ever changes. Ann's use of character voices had made Kim giggle with mirth and squirm for more.

Perhaps that was where she had ended up. She had crossed through the tollbooth from nowhere, driven beyond Expectations, and somehow made a wrong turn while her thoughts were elsewhere. Still, it was an unusual dream to have. She'd rather still be curled up with her mother on a cold winter night giggling.

While the memory made her smile, it also sent a sobering chill through her body. What would her mother think, Kim wondered, when someone found her comatose body? It was impossible that nobody would find her, as she normally contacted her mother once a day through texting or calling. When nothing was forthcoming, Ann would always assume the worst had happened.

Kim leaned down to the floor to pick up her manual. It had slipped from the cot at some point during her nap and portions of its pages were bent against the ground. She smoothed them out and flipped through the thin booklet again. Problem 52, she read again, arose when the soul had been jarred free from the server. The exact cause varied from occurrence to occurrence but generally was fixed by resetting the server, realigning the ports, and testing the connection. Her body had ports, she thought as a humorless smile crossed her lips. That was certainly a new addition. Beyond her understand of the words separately, combined she couldn't make heads or tails of what had happened to her.

She tossed the manual aside. The answers she wanted were clearly not in the supposedly helpful book, so she would take her questions to the streets. Despite her enthusiasm, Kim noted that her hands trembled slightly. She rubbed her hands together to quell any nervousness and stepped out onto the street.

Part of her had expected that something would have changed during her nap, that perhaps someone would have moved, or the light dimmed – anything to show the passage of time. Yet the people were had barely moved, if they had at all. Kim meandered down the street and let her eyes wander.

"Watch where you're going." A terse voice snapped at her.

She sidestepped and dodged past a man who had come to rest in the middle of the street. His eyes flashed at her, but almost immediately the life died from his pupils. Feeling unnerved by the man, Kim restricted her eyes purely to where she was headed. That green-skinned woman had to be around somewhere.

After what felt like ages of searching the streets, Kim had to admit that Shego was a difficult woman to track down. She began backtracking, simply because she didn't want to get too far away from the shack she had chosen as her own. The streets and alleys seemed to go on for miles, and Shego could be in any direction. Later, Kim decided, she would go back to the tiny tiled room where she had first met the woman. Chances were if Shego truly was the welcoming committee that she'd return there.

As she neared her makeshift home, Kim leaned over and selected one of the less broken looking televisions from the gutter. A remote was pinned to the ground beneath it, so she tucked that under her arm before manhandling the large device in her arms. Once she was back in her shanty, she eased the television back to the ground. Although it had no power cord, she decided to try the remote. This was after all a dream – so it would probably just work on its own.

Just as expected, the television flickered on. She found herself staring at a middle-aged balding man. The man patted his stomach and gazed at his reflection in a full length mirror. She heard his voice, though his mouth never moved.

"I just can't seem to keep the muscles on. She'll never want me like this – not when she could be with Derek."

A woman entered the room and smiled at him as he flexed his arms. "Henry, come on. Get dressed. We're going to be late for dinner."

"Oh, sorry, hon." He twisted to look at her and smiled. "Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

Kim sat down on the ground, her back resting against a leg of the cot. This was one of the weirdest television shows she had ever seen. She pressed the up arrow on the remote.

A four year old child lay curled up in bed. Bits of moonbeams had come in through cracks in the blinds and illuminated parts of her face. Kim smiled at the peaceful scene before flipping the channel again. Channel after channel gave her visions of what appeared to be the every-day lives of regular people. She leaned up and glanced at the six digit number scrawled across the top of her manual and plugged it into the remote.

The screen shifted and she found herself staring at an image of herself – well, her body – lying in a hospital bed. Her younger brothers were sleeping in arm chairs next to her, and her parents stood at the foot. They held each other close and Kim strained to hear their words.

"She's going to be okay." Ann whispered.

James hugged her head to his chest. "I know."

"One of us should take the twins home."

"Would you move them?"

Ann stared forlornly at her two sons and shook her head. "Perhaps when they wake up, one of us can take them home. It's no use having all of us exhausted and waiting. We don't know when she'll wake up."

James placed his fingers under Ann's chin and tipped her head back. Kim knew it was immature, but she looked away instead of watching her parent's share an intimate kiss. Thankfully her attention was redirected to a clopping on her door. She glanced once more at the television screen before getting to her feet and moving to open the door.

"Newbie…" Whatever sentence had formed on the lips of the other woman died when their eyes met. "Kim?"

Kim stared openly back at the brunette woman across from her. It wasn't possible. It was official, she told herself, she was never going to drink again. "Bonnie?"

Shifting her weight from foot to foot, Bonnie pushed roughly on Kim's shoulder and walked boldly into Kim's shack. "Damn, you would pick the worst of all places to live."

Kim's eyes shot open. "What are you doing here?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Bonnie stared down at the television set and pursed her lips. "Was it an accident? Or…?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Bonnie tapped on the screen. "Your body is in the hospital, and you're here. I didn't know such a smart person could be so dumb."

Kim flinched as Bonnie rolled her eyes, unused to being to openly mocked. Things were moving almost faster than her brain could process. "I don't get it."

"Let me lay it out for you…" Bonnie approached Kim and for the first time Kim noticed that Bonnie looked much the same as she did in high school. "You don't just end up in this hell hole for no reason. So why are you here?"

"The little light thing said it was problem 52."

Bonnie picked up her manual and flipped through it. If Kim wasn't mistaken, she noticed a glimmer of jealousy pass behind Bonnie's eyes.

"A transient problem." Bonnie tossed the manual aside.

"What are you doing here?" Kim repeated her unanswered question, her frustration building slowly in her gut.

"I like to check in on the newbies." Bonnie sniffed haughtily. "See if there's anything of interest. But you, like everyone else in this dump, are a waste of time."

"Hey!" Kim was nearly overwhelmed with the urge to slap Bonnie's all-knowing face. Bonnie's sneer hadn't changed since high school, though it had been a long time since Kim had been on the receiving end of it. "How long have you been here?"

"Four years or so. Give or take a few months."

"Four years…" Kim's eyes widened. "You have to be joking."

"No joke." Bonnie traipsed towards the door. "Well, if we're done here?"

"Wait."

"What now?"

"You can't just leave me like this." Kim insisted. "This is by far the most messed up dream I've had in years."

"Dream? That's what you think this is?" Bonnie cackled. "Call me when that theory falls apart. I'd like to watch you have a mental breakdown."

"I thought we'd moved past this stage." Kim riposted. "I wouldn't call us friends these days, but…"

"Oh yes." Bonnie raised her eyebrows. She drawled slowly, nearing Kim and trailing her fingers down the side of Kim's face. "Did you enjoy my body?"

A fierce blush coated Kim's cheeks as she jerked out of Bonnie's reach. "What?"

"Do the math, dummy." Bonnie flicked four of her fingers out. "Four years. That's four years I haven't been in control of my body. And what's happened in those four years?"

"That… that wasn't you?"

"She can be taught."

Kim struggled a moment. Part of her wanted to kick the sassy woman out of her shack so she could wait for herself to wake up in peace. The other was desperate for the information Bonnie undoubtedly had. Her thirst for knowledge won out.

"How long did they tell you? When you got disconnected?"

A period of silence stretched between them until Bonnie cleared her throat. "I am in a considerably different position than you are."

"Because four years is a long time."

"You think I don't know that?"

"I was told two days, but if you've been here that long…"

"I repeat, Possible, I am in a considerably different position." Kim dropped down onto her cot and rubbed her face with her hands. Bonnie lingered in the doorway a moment longer. On her way out, she called over her shoulder. "You're more entertaining than these slouches. I'll be back in a bit."

Grateful for a peaceful moment to think, Kim didn't respond past a small grunt. She spent the next few minutes examining the lines upon her palm, simply so that she didn't have to think about their exchange. Four years was an awfully long time to be in this place where time didn't seem to move. Already Kim was wondering how long two days amounted to in the waiting room, as opposed to reality.

Her thought froze her in place momentarily. It seemed as if she was operating under the idea that this wasn't a dream. She had to admit, both women she'd run into seemed to find her idea that this was a dream rather funny. Her gaze flickered to the television set – her body and her family seemed real enough, as well.

x-x-x

Jim shifted in his arm chair, a yawn stretching the taut skin on his face. He pawed at his eyes and grumbled before remembering where it was he had slept. His eyes flickered to Kim's body and a fresh wave of tears threatened him. But he held them back when he saw his mother's eyes were on him.

"Hey, mom."

"Can you wake your brother?" She whispered. "I was thinking about taking you two home to get some real rest."

Jim shrugged. A bed wouldn't make his sleep any more restful, but he didn't want to add more stress to his mother's load. He leaned over and gently shook Tim's shoulder. Tim grunted and curled more into the cushions. When that failed, Jim pinched Tim's side, hard enough to make Tim squeal and sit up.

"What the hell, man?"

"Sh." Jim's eyes darted to their mother and back to Tim. Tim followed the interaction and nodded slightly.

"Sorry." Tim lowered his voice. "Any change?"

"Mom's taking us home."

"What? Why? We gotta be here when she wakes up."

Ann motioned for them to follow her into the hallway. "Your father will remain here for now. As it is, we've both missed a day of work and both of you have missed classes."

Tim shrugged. "No class is worth something happening to Kim."

Jim nodded his agreement. "Besides, it's all review for finals right now."

"We've got everything in the bag."

"In any event, absences are frowned upon no matter what level of education you're at." Sometimes Ann found herself worrying about her young sons. Despite being sixteen, they were freshmen at an out-of-state university. They could barely drive, but she had to trust that they were staying out of trouble.

"We know, mom." They said in unison.

Inside the hospital room, James watched the shadows that were his family members through the glass pane in the door. They walked away and disappeared from his sight so he lowered himself into the chair where Jim had previously been sleeping.

x-x-x

Kim watched the screen with a growing interest. The twins had gone and her father had taken their spot. His head lowered into his hands and she listened to sobs wrack his body. She wanted to reach through the television and place her hands over his, to tell him that she was alright and that he shouldn't worry.

Instead she had to watch him cry. She reached for the remote to mute it, but changed her mind when he wiped his tears from his cheeks and opened his mouth.

"Kimmie-cub…" He started. A cough interrupted his words, but he pressed forward. "I need you to know."

"Yes?" She found herself leaning towards the television as if he could hear her.

"I'm so sorry if you ever thought I wasn't proud of what you're doing. You're following your heart and that's what's important. When you wake up, I want you to go to medical school. I want you do what makes you happy, even if that's not being a scientist."

The words knocked the breath out of Kim's lungs. She clutched the cot with palms that began to sweat.

"Please," James continued, "be alright."

Unable to take more of this, Kim hit the power button on the remote and the screen went blank. Her father had never been so emotional before, at least not to her. She had always known he loved her, but the level of emotion he had been displaying… An errant tear slid down her cheeks. She shut her eyes and tried to block out the world.

"Kim?"

Bonnie's voice drew her back to what she was starting to accept as reality - this had been on the whole too cohesive, even for a lucid dream. She glanced at the clock and determined that while her eyes had been closed, nearly seven minutes had passed. The clock must be slow, she thought, or at least not wound properly.

"Yes." She responded, hating how her voice sounded defeated.

"What are you doing?"

Kim sat up and wrapped her arms around herself defensively. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Just lazing about. Don't tell me you're giving up already?"

"I'm doing no such thing." Kim retorted. How was it that Bonnie could still manage to pierce her skin with verbal barbs in under a minute of their association?

"Good." Bonnie dragged a chair into the shack.

"Where'd you get that?"

"When you've been here as long as I have, you get to know how things work." Bonnie settled into the chair. "So tell me, how have things changed in the real world?"

"You don't watch any television?"

Bonnie shrugged. "Why should I watch my body do what I would not?"

"What did you want to know?"

Kim went on to tell Bonnie as much as she could regarding mutual friends from high school. She wished she had more she could tell the other woman more about the Rockwaller family, but as she hadn't kept up with them, she had nothing to say. Bonnie listened to most of it in silence, speaking only to ask an additional question, or to direct Kim's attention to another person of interest.

As their conversation drew to a close, Kim found herself asking again, "Don't you watch the television?"

"My channel bores me."

"Well, why not just change the channel to one of your family members?"

"Don't be stupid." Bonnie stated. "There are billions of channels and I'm supposed to just find the ones that focus on my family?"

Kim swallowed roughly as a lump grew in her throat. "I'm sorry – I didn't mean…"

"It doesn't matter." Bonnie shook her head. "But – thank you for filling me in."

The gratitude shocked Kim. She blinked. Surely this was not the same Bonnie that had made her life in high school a living nightmare at times. "You're welcome?"

"Don't act so surprised. Things here get… lonely."

"What do you mean?"

"You've seen the people out there." Bonnie jerked her thumb towards the door. "They lounge around and wait."

"Doesn't seem like there's much else here to do…"

At first a snarl of annoyance fought to curl up on Bonnie's face, but the emotion passed quickly. "But there could be. It seems like nobody wants to live without a body."

"Well, if this is just ephemeral, why not relax?"

"You of all people should find that bothersome." Bonnie arched an eyebrow. "Are you saying you'll willingly become complacent?"

"Of course not!"

"That's what I'm talking about." Bonnie elaborated. "I talk to newbies here because you people haven't lost that spark yet. This place hasn't ground out your humanity yet."

"Why haven't you changed?"

"My arrival here… was not an accident."

"What happened?"

"It doesn't matter. It was a mistake, one that I can't take back." Bonnie grabbed Kim's remote and changed the channel to her own. "As you can see, my body is a bit occupied these days. I can't go back."

Kim fought to understand. "If you're really you and you're here, then who's in your body?"

"That's a good question. I didn't care at the time – all I wanted was peace and quiet."

"I guess you got it."

Bonnie frowned. "I guess I did."

"And I'm guessing it's not what you thought it would be?"

Not willing to answer that directly, Bonnie stared at her body as it leaned against a bar. Kim too turned her attention to the television. Bonnie's body leaned in for a kiss with a stranger and Bonnie quickly changed the channel.

"The point is – that life is no longer mine, but that doesn't mean I don't want to live."

Kim paused and remembered her own risqué encounter with the brunette. "I don't know if this means anything at all to you, but I'm sorry."

Correctly assuming that Kim was talking about the illicit tryst with her body, Bonnie shrugged. "If I had the chance, I would sleep with me, too."

"If you don't watch television, how did you know it happened?"

"You'll maintain a vestige of a connection with your body, no matter how distant you become. I feel faint nigglings of the sensations my body endures." Bonnie turned her gaze to Kim's. "So sometimes I like to check who my body is gallivanting with. If it's interesting enough, I watch."

For some reason, this made Kim feel incredibly self-conscious. "Did you watch us?"

"I should be going." Bonnie stood up abruptly. "If you find yourself lacking good conversation, I live approximately a mile west from here. My home is the only one that looks lived in."

"Do you know where I can find that green skinned woman?"

Bonnie turned her head. "Who, Shego?"

"Yes."

"She's around." Bonnie responded vaguely. "If I see her, I'll let you know you're looking for her."

"Thanks."

Kim wanted to get up and hug her old rival, but instead she watched the proud brunette exit without so much as a backwards glance. She wondered what Bonnie had meant – how could a shack in this desolate landscape appear lived in? It also puzzled her that Bonnie had maintained a vivacious personality through four years of this world.

She flicked the television back on and instead of watching Bonnie lean into the touch of a stranger, flipped back to her own channel and stared at her body as it rested. James had not left her side, but was dozing. Understanding of the resting bodies outside filled her – it seemed like a pointless exercise to watch a body that would not move. Perhaps a nap would indeed pass the time more efficiently.

x-x-x

"You were looking for me?"

Kim sat bolt upright and tried to calm her rapidly beating heart. It seemed that common courtesies, like knocking and waiting before entering, were in short supply in this place. But when her eyes lighted on Shego's face, Kim let the impropriety go.

"I was."

"What?"

Jarred by Shego's direct attitude, Kim paused for a moment before speaking. Though she originally wanted to inquire about the manual's content, she decided to start on a more pressing inquiry. "I was just wondering about how time passes here?"

"And you couldn't ask Rockwaller?"

"I didn't know that she'd know…"

"So you assumed I would?"

"Well, you're the welcoming committee, right?" Kim stood up and took a few steps in Shego's direction. There was something familiar about the other woman and Kim didn't hesitate to let her gaze rake up and down the woman's body. She certainly didn't look like anyone Kim had met recently. She searched through memories as their conversation continued, but came up empty handed - none of her memories seemed to include a snappy green woman.

If Shego felt any consternation over Kim's interest in her physique, she didn't show it. "It's an informal title."

"Do you know anyways?"

"I do."

"So?"

"So what?"

Kim curled her hands into fists. "Why is it that every person in this damn place is so – unhelpful!"

"Temper-temper, Princess." Shego crossed her arms. "If that's all you planned to do – yell like a child, then I'm leaving."

"Please don't. Why won't you tell me about the time?"

"I don't see why it's important."

"It's important to me." Kim reached out and placed her hand on Shego's forearm. "Bonnie said she's been here four years. Four years of time as it flows here, or four years as it flows in reality?"

"So you've finally accepted that this isn't a dream?"

Although her mind hadn't yet made itself up on that issue, Kim knew she'd have an easier time extracting information if she acquiesced. "Yes."

"She's been here for four years of time as it flows in reality."

"So how much time is that here?"

Shego glanced at the clock. "It's hard to say. Every clock I've seen says something different, and none seem to consistently tick at the same rate from minute to minute."

Kim followed her gaze and sighed. "So it could feel like four years before I go back to my body?"

"It could feel like however long you want it to." Came Shego's grouchy response.

"How long have you been here?"

"Longer than you."

"Have you always been this snippy?"

"Is that all? Can I leave now? Pretty, pretty please?"

The frustration that had been building in Kim finally reached its boiling point. Bonnie she expected to be aggravating, but this strange woman was supposed to help her understand. It wasn't fair that everyone who seemed to know what was going on was withholding information. She lunged forward and swung her fist at Shego's face. Shego ducked back quicker than Kim expected, but Kim responded immediately by whirling a kick in Shego's direction. The thud that resulted made Kim snarl with anger, as instead of waling into Shego's side, her foot had been trapped by Shego's hand.

"Interesting." Shego commented.

Kim couldn't ascertain how Shego felt about being attacked from Shego's bland tone. Perhaps it was because her helplessness in attacking Shego mirrored her helplessness in returning to her body, or perhaps it was because Kim's breaking point had been reached – in either event, Kim jerked her leg free and continued her onslaught. Shego blocked, weaved, ducked, and evaded most of Kim's blows, but one nicked the edge of her chin.

Kim panted. It had been many years since she seriously partook in a fight, as she had left her crime fighting in high school, save for the occasional emergency. But she hadn't thought herself to be this rusty. Come on, she told herself, just land a good hit and call it a day. No matter how hard she tried, however, any hit that she landed was a grazing blow.

Tired of what she assumed was a game to Kim, Shego flared her plasma around her hands and slashed back at the smaller woman. Kim tumbled backwards, afraid of being burned by what looked like green flames. Shego advanced on her and Kim scrambled to her feet, drawing her hands up to protect her face.

"How do you do that?" Although she could feel the beginnings of panic swelling in her bosom, caused by the prowess of the other woman, her insatiable curiosity kept her from attempting another direct attack.

Shego doused the plasma and shot her a sharp look. "I have been here for ten years."

"I feel like I've met you before, but I can't remember..."

"I'm sure we haven't."

"Were you ever a villain?" Kim hazarded. She used to run into many of those when she was younger.

The tactless question brought a frown to Shego's lips. She directed a small plasma blast at Kim and as Kim dodged the blow, she stepped outside and strolled away. Kim waved away the smoke before realizing that she was once again alone.

x-x-x

Shego had no qualms shoving the lugubrious people out of her way as she stalked back towards her home. Most residents had long ago learned to bite their tongues – any sort of complaint was likely to draw out Shego's ire, and nobody wanted a plasma blast to the face. Shego, for her part, liked the power this gave her.

It was exceptionally agreeable to her as she stormed away from Kim's shack. If there was one thing she disliked more than people, it was people who she knew from reality. Granted she hadn't seen Kim but once and their encounter had been brief – she pushed a hapless man out of her way. At the time, Kim couldn't have been more than twelve or thirteen.

As Kim was so young, only half her age, Shego hadn't seen fit to engage the young woman. After all, a child shouldn't be taken seriously. Her employer at the time, however, was stupider than most men of his intelligence level. The deranged blue man saw the little girl as a threat, one that had to be eliminated. Part of her blamed the kid's ferocity, but she had spent ten years understanding that if anyone was at fault, other that the idiot who had pressed the self-destruct button, it was herself. She was to blame for her own situation. After all, she had ensured that Kim and the blonde boy that seemed attached to Kim's hip had cleared the blasting radius before taking care of her own needs.

She may have been a villain, but she wasn't heartless.

x-x-x

Ann relieved James and took his spot at Kim's side. It had been just over a day since Kim had been found by Ron still in bed and completely unresponsive. She didn't think she'd ever forget the worry that racked her system when Kim failed to contact her. She had immediately called Ron and asked the young man to check on her daughter. He was the only other one in the city with a key to Kim's apartment. Ann would also never forget the heart-wrenching grief caused by the call from the hospital.

James kissed the crown of her head and departed to look after their remaining children. Taking Kim's hand into her own, Ann tried to ignore the I.V. running into the Kim's arm and up to a bag of clear fluid. This was, Ann thought, a punishment for something. She had never been an overtly religious person, but she found herself turning rapidly to praying for the safety of her only daughter.

"Kim, if you can hear me – I just want you to know that we're here for you. We'll be here when you wake up, too."

From her position in front of the television, Kim winced. Only a day had passed in reality, but she felt as if she'd spent several days in the waiting room. It was wearing on her nerves considerably that she couldn't comfort her parents. At least, she sighed softly, the substitute soul was doing its job. Everybody knew she was alive, even if she couldn't tell them herself.

Unable to take much more, Kim turned the off the television and stretched. If her conflict with Shego had reminded her of nothing else, it was that she should try to maintain a semblance of who she was in reality. This blasted waiting room was an unknown area. When she had first gotten to Go City, she had spent days learning the streets, finding out where the rougher areas were, and getting acclimated. Here, though, she had spent less than an hour wandering around before getting bored and calling it quits. No more, she told herself. She was not going to become complacent so easily.

Bonnie's words echoed in her mind and she found that she quite agreed. Being in the waiting room did not preclude one from living. As much as she wanted to remain on that cot, there were things she could be doing, places she could be exploring. She disliked the adverse affect her surroundings were having on her personality – Kim Possible was not one to nap for hours on end. Kim Possible was a doer.

She squared her shoulders and stepped towards the door. She was going to out there a do something – even if there was nothing to do.

* * *

**A/N:** I noticed that I've been spelling Ann's name wrong and have fixed it in the previous chapter. I really do appreciate the reviews I've received thus far - just know that it spurs me to continue writing. The Doldrums comes from The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. You should read that.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

The waiting room wasn't nearly as large as Kim initially thought. She jogged down the main street and ducked down alleys whenever she felt the urge. With no particular direction in mind, she wandered around and mapped her new territory. Her shanty was just north of what she deduced was the midpoint of the waiting room. From there the vast area sprawled perhaps two miles in every direction in a maze of twisting avenues.

After an hour of speeding about, Kim slackened her pace. Though her body wasn't tiring, which in itself was odd to her, she felt no need to go any faster. She'd seen what she'd wanted to see: the waiting room was deceptive. From in the midst of the buildings, she felt like the expanse was unlimited, that there were an infinite number of shacks with an infinite number of moping souls claiming them. But that simply wasn't true.

She nimbly dodged past a woman who was staring blankly up at the sky. A footstep later, Kim paused and turned back. The woman paid her no heed, so she reached out and touched the tip of her forefinger to the woman's elbow.

"Um, excuse me?"

When the woman finally moved her eyes to Kim's face, Kim almost wished she hadn't. It took several seconds for the woman's pupils to slide down from the heavens and a frown creased the woman's lips.

"What do you want?"

"I'm Kim." Kim extended her hand, but it was ignored. Not to be deterred, Kim pressed on. "I was just curious how long you've been here."

"Long enough." The woman's eyes returned to the sky.

"I mean," Kim sidled around to the woman's front, "when you first got disconnected- How long were you told you'd be here? And how long has it been since then?"

"Long enough."

Kim cocked an eye brow. "Is that so?"

"Why don't you just move along?" The woman's monotone voice irritated Kim – it reminded her that she had nearly become one of these people, content to sit and wait aimlessly. "I don't want any trouble."

Shrugging Kim decided to continue on her way. She thanked the woman politely for her time and set off at a jolly pace. Spurred by some unknown curiosity, she began questioning others that she came across, but few would say more than a few words to her. None actually answered her questions.

Eventually her travels brought her to a shack that made her pause. This shanty had a yard, Kim was shocked to see, surrounded by a neat picket fence. On the fake grass there were two lawn chairs, neither currently occupied. A slightly crooked 'No Solicitors' sign hung next to the door – a joke, Kim determined.

She pushed the gate to the yard open and made her way to the door, hoping that she had indeed found Bonnie's home. At Kim's rapping, the door slid open and Kim found herself in the right place.

"How'd you get lawn chairs?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "You come all this way to see me and that's what you have to say?"

"I was just curious." Kim found that was rapidly becoming her new go-to phrase. "What's with the sign?"

"A cruel joke."

"Can I come in?"

"I suppose." Bonnie gestured that Kim could slip past her into the single room home.

The inside of Bonnie's shack was perhaps more interesting than the outside. On one wall hung a poster of lackluster fruit, its edges ripped and a crease through its center. A set of gray drapes blocked the light from outside and two easy chairs rested in the corner next to Bonnie's cot. A television set sat blankly on the ground near their feet.

"How'd you get such a nice set up?" Kim whistled. She wished her shanty looked more like this. It would be a little less depressing.

"Why are you here?"

Kim turned her attention to the surly brunette and sighed. "I was bored."

"Afraid of turning into one of them?" Bonnie jabbed her thumb towards the door. Kim understood immediately what Bonnie was referring to and smiled in response. "I would be too."

"You know, you never actually told me how you avoided becoming one of them. I can't imagine any of them have been here longer than you, but you're still… well, you."

"I couldn't say." Bonnie went to her easy chairs and selected one of them. Her legs folded neatly beneath her.

Kim bounded over and took the other one. "Why don't you want to answer my questions?"

"I'm so glad you're just as annoying as you used to be." Bonnie snapped. "I don't much see the point in answering questions that ultimately are stupid."

"Why?" Kim watched a muscle twitch in Bonnie's face and felt a deep satisfaction. It seemed she could still get under Bonnie's skin at the drop of a hat.

"Because sooner or later you will be gone and chances are that you won't remember any of this."

Detecting a hint of sadness in Bonnie's mien, Kim leaned forward and balanced her elbows on her knees. Though she wanted to press further, something told her that would be an expedient way to end the conversation completely. Instead Kim allowed a smile to unfurl on her lips.

"I like the fruit bowl."

Bonnie's eyes darted to the poster and she shrugged. "The people who run this place aren't that creative."

"You know them? The people…"

"Yes and no. It's like airlines – when they delay your flight too long, they feel like they have to give you something. Like a free meal ticket, you know?"

"So instead of a free meal, you get a poster of fruit."

"No, I get to ask for what I want. They try to comply – but they don't often get it just right. The sign next to my door is proof of that."

"What'd you ask for?"

"I asked for a decoration." Bonnie snorted. "I'll give that to them, it is indeed a decoration."

"It made me smile."

"It would."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kim folded her arms over her chest, indignant. Secretly, though, she was just glad Bonnie was still talking to her. After her failed attempts at conversation with the other inhabitants, she was just happy to not be alone.

Bonnie shook her head slowly and ran her fingers through her hair. Her teal eyes betrayed none of the relief she was feeling. "Aren't you going to ask why I have two lawn chairs? Two easy chairs?"

"I was… but you don't seem like you're in a very giving mood."

"Shego." Bonnie supplied. It was easier to answer unasked questions, than to pander to Kim's need to know. "She comes by here."

"Nobody else?"

Bonnie's lip drew back in distaste as she felt that Kim was slurring her social capabilities. "I'll have you know-"

"I'm sorry." Kim cut in. The anger on Bonnie's face made her regret her words. "I just meant – there's nobody else here that's not – that's not like them?"

Kim watched Bonnie swallow roughly before responding. "Generally people are like you for the first few hours. They're up-to-date on current events, even menial ones. So I seek them out. I tell them what I told you – where to find me. But nobody has bothered to show up until now."

"This place does have a sort of constricting feel to it." Kim eased back in the comfortable chair. "Makes you not want to move or do anything but sleep."

"I think it's so that they don't have to worry about rabble-rousers."

"They?"

"The people who run things. The little light balls." Bonnie tilted her head to the side. She'd had four years to think things through and it was honestly the best explanation she could come up with. "Imagine if you had a couple hundred souls, all clamoring to get back in their bodies. It would be a customer service nightmare."

"It still doesn't explain why after four years of this you're still you."

Kim could see Bonnie's inner struggle play out on her face. Her brows quirked together, then shot apart and up, and finally her face ironed out flat, save for a miniscule twitch of her lips. Perhaps, Kim thought, she'd finally answer the question. Yet it was not to be – the door to the shanty swung open and Shego strode in.

"Oh good. You're back." Bonnie's voice struggled to remain even. She got to her feet and walked quickly towards the taller green woman. Kim struggled to hear what passed between them when Bonnie reached the other woman's side, but failed. "Anyway, seems like Possible's fine."

Shego clenched her hands into fists briefly, but relaxed when her eyes met Kim's. Kim offered her a smile, which Shego returned with a haughty smirk.

"So, Princess, you're not as dull as the rest of them."

Any notion Kim had of friendship sputtered and died as her ire was sparked. "Well, good. I'd hate to fail your standards."

Shego blew a gust of breath through her nostrils and tossed her hands up to shoulder level. "The second person in ten years and this is what I'm stuck with."

"Not for long." Bonnie reminded her.

Feeling like the sudden animosity in the room was due to her presence, Kim stood. "Well, I won't interfere with your… you know. Whatever it is you're doing."

Bonnie slapped Shego's shoulder. "Don't mind her. Stay. Right, Shego?"

"I guess beggars can't be choosers."

"No, I think I'll go." Kim reiterated. She noted the tense glare Bonnie shot the taller woman and the frown that wrinkled Shego's face.

"No." Shego sounded as if she were having her fingernails removed. "Please stay."

Kim sat back down. "Thanks for your hospitality."

The tension in the room magnified for a moment while the two other women shared a look, but dissipated as Shego went to lounge on the cot and Bonnie took her own seat again. While Kim and Bonnie continued conversing, Shego tapped her nails on the wall and kicked her legs like a five year old against Kim's chair.

When Kim could take it no longer, she reached over and smacked Shego's leg. "Stop that!"

"You going to make me?" Shego taunted. "Didn't seem like you were that formidable a foe earlier."

"I was just warming up."

"You two fought?"

"Is that really so surprising?" Kim darted a glance at Bonnie, who shrugged and directed her attention to Shego.

"It's not surprising considering who we're talking about."

Shego's lip drew back over her teeth in a mockery of a smile. "Oh thanks, Rockwaller."

"Anytime."

Kim watched the two silently, unsure of what to make of their rapport. The Bonnie she knew back in high school never seemed this at ease with anyone but her little minions, and Shego didn't strike her as the minion sort. Perhaps a side kick if anything, she thought with a small smile.

"What are you smiling about?"

Drawn back to the present by Shego's harsh tone, Kim shrugged. "I was just thinking about the past."

"That's all there is to smile about, I suppose."

Shego shrugged. "You don't see me complaining about being here."

"You complain every day about being here."

Shrugging, Shego sat up on the cot and stretched her arms over her head. "Still beats a lot of the shitty places I've been before."

"I'm sure."

Kim yawned. "This is truly a thrilling conversation."

"You have something better you want to talk about?" Bonnie demanded.

"You never answered my question. Why haven't either of you become listless?"

"Well!" Shego sat up right. "I could tell you that."

"Shego, don't." Bonnie stared daggers at the other woman. "Or if you must say something, talk only about yourself."

"I don't see what the harm is." Shego insisted. "If – and only if – Princess here can beat me."

Kim tugged her lower lip into her mouth and nibbled on it. Despite her bravado earlier, she wasn't sure if that was possible. She hadn't fought in years, and Shego had those weird hands. But her curiosity was willing to take a few punches so she nodded reluctantly.

"Only if you promise not to do that hand thing."

The smile on Shego's face bordered on menacing. She let her hands go up in flames. "Oh you mean this."

As Shego's hand swiped past her face, Kim dodged back and fell over the arm of the easy chair. "That's not even fair!"

"Hey!" Bonnie screeched. "Not inside my house!"

Shego let the flames die down as she slouched nonchalantly to the door. "Ready?"

Kim stumbled after her. "Don't I get a chance to warm up?"

"Nah, I don't think so." Shego cast a look over her shoulder that Kim couldn't quite figure out. It seemed almost seductive, a conclusion that was only enforced by the added swagger in Shego's hips. "Come on, then."

"No fire?"

"I make no promises."

Bonnie tailed them outside. "What do you get if you win, Shego?"

Kim wished that Bonnie hadn't thought to ask that. "She can…"

Shego talked over Kim, instigating her own rules. "If I win, I get to ask one favor."

"Just a favor?"

Shego dropped down into a fighting stance, her feet spread and her claws raised. "Just a teensy tiny favor. You can deal with that, can't you?"

"What sort of favor." Kim wheedled. She used the discussion time to pull her arms across her body to loosen the joints.

"The deal is leaving the table." Shego commented. "You won't learn a single thing about either of us in five… four…"

"Fine." Kim sighed. Even if she lost, she thought, how bad could a tiny favor be?

As soon as Kim spoke, Shego sprang into action. Her claw narrowly missed Kim's nose as Kim tumbled to the right and out of danger. So, she thought, one hand rubbing her nose gingerly, Shego didn't like to fight fair. She had little problem with that. Most of her foes from years ago were much the same.

"Are you sure we've never met?"

Kim bounded forward, fist cocked. Instead of punching, though, she kicked a foot behind Shego's knee. Shego fell slightly forward before catching her balance, but not fast enough to completely evade a punch to her face. It nicked her chin, but if it hurt her at all, she didn't react.

"Positive, Princess." Shego watched Kim more warily now. The hit had been lucky. She'd thought Kim to be a pushover, but she wouldn't make that mistake again. "Are you done with the chitter chatter? I have a favor to ask."

Kim leant over backwards as Shego's foot swung over her face. Pushing herself into a back walkover, she wished that she had bothered remaining flexible. When she got back to her body that would definitely be the first thing she did. As her feet touched the ground, she crouched low to avoid another of Shego's kicks.

"Why do you hate me so much, then?"

"Hate?" Shego slammed her foot down into the grass where Kim had been moments before. "Who said anything about hate?"

Kim sidled up behind her and wrapped her arms around Shego's stomach as she tucked her leg around Shego's ankle. With a firm yank, she flipped the larger woman down to the ground. Kim swung her leg over Shego's frame and straddled the glowering woman, her hands holding Shego's arms above her head. Just as Kim was about to declare victory, Shego laced her legs through Kim's and pushed out. A sharp pain stabbed through Kim's thighs and groin, allowing Shego to roll them over.

"You seem pretty intent on hurting me." Kim panted out.

Shego leapt away from Kim's body, allowing Kim a moment to stand back up. Kim winced at the ache growing in her legs. It had been a dirty move, especially after Kim had mentioned that she needed to stretch. The smirk on Shego's face let Kim know it had been calculated.

"The only thing I'm intent on doing…" Shego let her plasma flicker to life over each finger before it consumed her hands. "…is winning."

Afraid of the plasma, but not willing to give in, Kim dove at Shego's waist. Shego's fists knocked against her back, causing spasms of pain for Kim, but Kim refused to let this frustrating woman best her. She did notice, though, that the flames on Shego's hands weren't hurting her – it was simply the force Shego was exerting with each hit. With Shego off balance, Kim quickly pulled back. Her fist rocketed up towards Shego's jaw.

A moment later she found herself nose deep in the grass with blood trickling out of her nose. She groaned and fought to get her hands under herself, to lift herself back up, but Shego placed her foot on Kim's back and forced the redhead back to the ground.

"Give?"

Kim struggled. She jerked to the side, she pushed off the ground, and she growled, but nothing made Shego's foot move even a centimeter. She balled her hands into fists and took a deep breath. "I'll give if you tell me how you did it."

Shego snorted. "That wasn't part of the deal."

Kim latched onto the hand that dropped in front of her face. Bonnie eased her back to her feet as soon as Shego stepped away.

"If you must know, Shego caught you with a pretty hard punch to the gut."

Kim rubbed her sore stomach. "So that's why I feel vaguely like puking."

"And don't forget the plasma." Shego added. It seemed that after winning she was in a much more genial mood. "That's what really did it."

"Right." Bonnie added as requested. "She blasted you with her plasma, which is why you flew so far."

If she hadn't been in pain, Kim would have found this extremely fascinating. "So what's the favor you want?"

Shego plopped down into one of the lawn chairs. "When your body is ready, I get to take it."

"What?" Both Bonnie and Kim cried. Even their faces were mirror images.

"You heard me. You stay here with Rockwaller and I get to take over your body."

"No!"

"Shego – that's a little more than a tiny favor." Bonnie scolded.

"She shouldn't have taken the deal, then." Shego proceeded to kick her legs out in front of her and close her eyes.

"I refuse."

Just when Kim thought that things were spiraling out of control, Shego opened one eye, looked at her, and smirked that irrepressible smirk. "Then I guess I'll have to save my favor for a later date."

Kim found herself turning bright red at the sultry manner in which Shego spoke those words. "I won't give you my body."

"We'll see."

"I won't."

"Uh-huh."

About to boil over, Kim clamped her lips together to avoid saying something she'd regret later. She spun around to leave, but Bonnie caught her wrist.

"Have you gotten an update, by the way?"

"From the little light things?"

"Yeah. They try to keep you updated with your manual. In that portion in the front."

"I had wondered what the notes section was for." Kim mused. "I haven't really looked."

"Don't you have it with you?"

Kim shook her head. "I left it on my bed. Didn't really see a reason to carry it around."

"You should keep it with you."

"Why?"

Bonnie glanced at Shego, whose interest in the conversation had returned. "You just need it."

"What's so bad about leaving it?"

"Princess, what happens when they tell you that your body's ready for a soul again?"

"I guess I just go back to that little room and go home."

"Correction. Whoever sees that note goes to that little room and goes to your home. They don't exactly care which soul goes to which body, as long as one goes."

Kim's face blanched. "So someone else could take my place?"

"Doy." Shego snapped. "Have you forgotten about my favor already?"

"I thought you were joking."

Kim tipped her fingers at the two women and sprinted down the road towards her own home. She marveled at how fast she could run despite the intense exercise she had just taken part in – and the fact that she had yet to feel a single bead of sweat on her body. At the sound of footfalls, she glanced behind her. Shego caught up and kept pace with her.

"This is probably the dumbest thing you've ever done." She commented.

"Oh thanks." Kim spat. "You could have told me about this when you ditched me here."

"I didn't think it needed to be said."

"Well apparently it does."

When they burst into Kim's shanty, they found it empty. The manual was gone.

x-x-x

"She looks so peaceful, doesn't she?" Ann whispered to James.

He tried to smile at her but his lips tangled on his emotions and merely tightened into a thin line. "She does."

"She was so excited."

"I know."

"I just know she was going to get into that school."

"She still will." James murmured. "She's going to be a great doctor."

Ann buried her face into his chest. She refused to shed another tear over this, no matter how strong the urge to sob was. Crying was admitting defeat, she told herself, and she wasn't ready for such pessimism. The doctors tending to Kim's needs had been able to tell them very little, which Ann saw as a bad sign. If they knew what was causing the coma, they could fix it. With no definite source, the coma seemed insurmountable.

"What are we going to do?"

"Wait for her."

"I know that… but with the boys? Our jobs?"

James shifted uncomfortably. "Are you suggesting we… leave her here?"

"What else can we do?" Ann sniffled. "We may not be here when she wakes up, but we can't make our lives freeze for her until she does."

She watched her husband watch their unmoving daughter. His eyes fixated on the steady rise and fall of Kim's chest – something she too had spent hours watching. There were long moments when it appeared that Kim's chest had ceased moving, but so far that had yet to actually happen.

"The boys'll go back to class." James said. The words sounded forceful to him. Like he knew what he was doing. "And you can go back to work if you like."

"James." Ann bunched her fists into his shirt. "You sitting here alone isn't going to help anything."

"I have vacation time." He argued.

"Save it for when she wakes up. She'll need us around more then, not now when there's nothing to do."

"I can't believe you want us to walk away from our daughter. While she's sick."

"I'm asking you to be reasonable."

He jerked forward and clutched Kim's hand. "I want to be here when she wakes up."

"She knows…" Ann started, but trailed off. She took a calming breath and tried again. "She knows that you were always there for her. Even when you…"

James silenced her with a look. "Don't you think I regret that?"

"I've talked to her so many times about it." Ann slid her hand behind his neck and pulled his face towards hers. Their foreheads came to a halt against each other. "She forgave you, even if she didn't understand."

His grip on Kim's hand loosened. "I just – she has to wake up so I can tell her."

"She will." Ann promised. She wanted nothing more than for her husband to tell her daughter just what was on his mind. The memory of their last encounter left a sour taste in her mouth, and she knew it was eating him up inside.

"I shouldn't have said all of those things."

"Hindsight is always perfect, dear." It was his turn to nestle against her. She rubbed soothing circles into his back until most of the tension in his body had faded. Kissing his temple, she guided him to the door. As a surgeon, she was used to making difficult decisions, but it was so much harder when the life at risk was her offspring's. "But right now we need lunch."

"Just 'til the end of the week?"

"We can do that." She promised.

x-x-x

Kim ignored Shego's indignant shouts and ran towards the dinky room where it had all started. The pile of manuals was still on the coffee table, so she picked a new one up. For one anxiety filled moment, nothing happened – but then her number scrolled across the top of the page. She flipped to the notes page as Shego caught up with her.

"Diagnosis team dispatched." She read. "11:18 a.m."

"How long did they tell you?" Shego questioned. She couldn't be bothered to remember if Kim had told her before.

"Two days."

"Ah, well, if they just got around to dispatching the team, then you're in for a bit longer than that." Shego predicted. "Ask it for an estimated completion time."

Kim stared blankly at Shego. "What?"

Shego ripped the manual from Kim's hands and held it to her mouth. "How long do I have to wait?"

The notes page buzzed as new words formed. Kim stared at the updated verdict with a sinking heart: Four days. This was how people ended up staying so long, Kim thought as despair leaked through her. Maybe that was even why Shego and Bonnie had been there so long. The little light things kept bumping the time back further and further.

From the corner of her eye, Shego monitored Kim's reaction. She tactfully pretended not to see the tear dripping down Kim's face and only turned to fully face Kim after it had been rubbed away. At first she wanted to make a scoffing remark, perhaps rub it in that Kim was stuck with them a few more days, but the teasing never made it past her lips.

"I – er – I'm sorry." She sputtered.

Kim cleared her throat and tucked the new manual under her arm. "No big. I'll just stay here until it's time for me to go back to my body."

"No doy." Shego chuckled. Any earlier niceness had faded once Kim's confidence returned. "You don't have any other choice, Pumpkin."

Kim bristled and sat in one of the waiting chairs. "I meant, I'm waiting right here."

"Why?" Shego snickered. "I mean, if you want to waste your time, go for it."

"How else will I beat the other person here?" Kim demurred. "Someone else out there has my manual."

"Try something for me." Shego commanded. "Drop the manual and pick up a new one."

Kim sighed, not seeing the point, but did as she was ordered. The old manual went blank as soon as she picked up a new one and her information immediately filled it. A genuine smile finally lit up her eyes.

"So nobody has my information."

Shego nodded, but she thought that perhaps someone may have seen that the diagnostic team had been dispatched. That may have given someone a good enough clue as to when Kim's soul could be reattached. But she voiced none of this. "Come on. Bonnie's probably waiting."

"I should just go back to my stupid shack and wait."

"No, you really shouldn't." Shego spoke through a clenched jaw. Earlier Bonnie had asked her to be nice, but it was so difficult – especially to Kim. "Bonnie wants you to come back to our place."

And so Kim found herself following Shego back. She also found herself wondering about the relationship between the only two women she'd met so far in this place that seemed still alive. They were friends, it seemed that way, but Kim wondered if it was something more. Shego referred to it as their place, after all. She gazed at Shego as they walked, not bothering to disguise her interest.

"What are you looking at?"

"It's just – well, you're wearing something different than when we first met."

Shego stared down at her garb – a pair slim black skinny jeans and a loose fitting green tank top. "I suppose…?"

"Where'd you get it from?"

"What does it matter?" Shego countered, never one to answer a question too easily or directly.

Kim tugged on her clothes. "I'm a little sick of wearing this."

Shego's eyes made the trip up and down Kim's body. She saw nothing wrong with the slightly wrinkled clothing but if that's what Kim wanted... "I'll help you out for another favor."

"What's with you and favors! Can't you just do something nice for someone? For once in your life?"

The snarl that rippled across Shego's face made Kim's step falter. "You can find Bonnie's on your own. Tell her I'll be back when you're gone."

Kim attempted to formulate an apology, not really sure what had set the green woman off. Part of her wanted to chase Shego down and talk things through, but the other part was sick of Shego's attitude. Bonnie greeted her at the door.

"I see you have your manual."

"Yeah, no thanks to me, though. My first one definitely got stolen." Kim allowed herself a melodramatic moment. "But luckily if you pick up a new one, the old one gets wiped. So I'm safe."

"I would hope so." Bonnie commented, but Kim detected ambivalence in her words. "Where's Shego?"

"She… said she had some stuff to take care of."

"Hm."

"Okay, fine." Kim grimaced. "She said she'd be back when I was gone."

Bonnie waved her hand flippantly. "She's just being a drama queen. She'll be back… What did you say, anyways? That set her off?"

Kim hung her head. She was supposed to be a good person, and there she was being antagonizing towards someone who had just helped her. "Does it matter?"

"No, but it could give me a better idea of when she'll be back."

"Are you two… You know…"

Bonnie's laughter filled the shack and made the walls tremble. "Me and Shego? Together?"

"In my defense, you two seem pretty cozy."

When the laugher finally passed, Bonnie collapsed against the nearest wall, holding her stomach with both hands. "But seriously?"

"And you both seem to live here! And there's only one cot…" Kim felt like her thoughts were a ship that had come untethered from the docks during a storm.

"I can assure you, Possible, that nothing of the sort is happening."

"Sorry I asked."

"And we only have one cot because we don't normally sleep much. Once you start sleeping, it's hard to make yourself care about being awake again."

Kim thought back to after her nap and shrugged. "Was so not the drama for me."

"Haven't you felt the urge? To just lie down and close your eyes?"

"Well, yes."

"If you want my advice, Possible – don't sleep again while you're here."

"You're still here?" Shego barged in, her eyes falling on Kim. Though her posture was tense, her eyes danced with something akin to mirth. "Well, that saves me the trouble of tracking you down. I got your darn change of clothes. I just guessed about your size."

With a hint of reservation, Kim took the offered clothing from Shego's hand. She hesitated before saying thank you, unsure of what Shego had gotten for her.

* * *

**A/N: **And thus it continues. To be honest, this note is only here to keep the layout of the chapters parallel. What do I really have to tell you that you don't already know? Tune in soon for Shego's favor.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Ron twirled his forefinger along the rim of the glass. He always tried to lure out some sort of beautiful noise, but none were ever forthcoming. Kim told him once that it was because he never tried it with crystal glass, but he had never listened. As he thought of Kim, his finger froze and he sighed.

"You can't keep beating yourself up." Monique eased herself into a chair across from him. The small table between them was home to several half empty liquor bottles. "It's not like any of this is your fault."

"I guess not. But I'm supposed to watch her back – not let her get so toasted that she fries." He wrapped his fingers around the glass, but didn't have the heart yet to lift it to his lips.

Monique reached out and sorted through the bottles until she found one that pleased her palate. The amber liquid sloshed down into what she hoped was a clean glass. He watched her and offered no assistance or advice. The glass was probably clean, he figured, and if it wasn't, she wouldn't care in a few minutes.

"She made her own choices. Ron, seriously, she wouldn't want you moping about like this, would she?"

"She wouldn't want me out there partying." He responded.

"I didn't say that. But you can't stop living just because Kim's… because…"

"Because she's comatose." Ron finished the thought and finally downed the rest of the alcohol from his glass. "I'm sorry I'm not dealing so well with my best friend in the hospital."

Monique winced slightly at the burn on her throat as she sipped her own drink. Ron's supply of alcohol didn't come with chasers, a fact which normally wouldn't faze her. But they weren't drinking to have a good time that evening.

"You don't have to deal so well."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nobody's judging you for feeling down."

"Except you."

"I'm not judging!" Monique insisted. "I'm just concerned. You can be down, but no way is my boy going to be out, too."

A tired smile pushed at the edges of his lips. "Your boy?"

She smiled back at him. "We're friends, aren't we?"

He nodded and poured himself another drink. Yes, he thought, they were friends, if only through Kim. He wondered if they would remain friends if Kim weren't around. Sensing the downward swing of his mood, Monique shoved her glass away and walked to his side. The alcohol was beginning to numb her senses, but she still felt in control. It was with mild surprise that Ron accepted her lips against his.

"Monique…" He pulled back, ready to apologize.

"Shut it." She pressed a finger against his lips. "Neither one of us wants to be alone right now, right?"

When she removed her finger, he leaned willingly into her touch.

x-x-x

Kim shook the clothing out and stared at it blankly. No longer able to fully contain herself, Shego cackled quietly. In her hands Kim held a pair of black skinny jeans and an emerald tank top – the exact outfit Shego was wearing.

"I guess the little lights got a little confused." Shego raised her eyebrows. "Whoops. Sorry."

The apology was perhaps the least meaningful thing Kim had ever heard. "I guess they'll have to do…"

"Well, you aren't getting anything else."

"I know." Kim spat back. She was grateful for the change of clothes, not that she'd voice anything like that to Shego. "Turn around."

Bonnie immediately twisted towards the wall, but Shego meandered to an easy chair and flung herself down over the arm. Her eyes remained fixed on Kim. Kim stared at her.

"Well?"

Shego snorted. "I do what I want, not what you ask."

"Is this going to be your favor?" Kim resisted the urge to sneer at the taller woman. "To watch me change?"

Shego tensed immediately. "I don't need a favor for that, Pumpkin."

"What are you insinuating?"

Before Shego could answer, a brilliant flash of light burst through the window. Shego casually got to her feet and walked to the door. She trailed her finger along Kim's jaw as she passed, but made no further comment. As soon as Shego had departed, Kim quickly tugged her clothing off and pulled the new garb on. The pants were a pretty close match, but the shirt was a size too big.

"Bonnie, could you help me?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Kimmie can't dress herself?"

"No, she got the wrong size." Kim waited for Bonnie to turn back towards her and gestured towards her bosom. "I'm nearly falling out."

Bonnie's fingers deftly grabbed the straps of the tank top and yanked. Kim gagged for a second and tugged at the neckline of the top. If not for Bonnie's snickers, Kim would have thought it to be an accident. A few moments later, Bonnie's touch disappeared and Kim reached back to feel the knot that Bonnie had tied with the fabric.

"That'll do. Thanks."

"Yeah, whatever." Bonnie dismissively wagged her fingers and went to lean up against the window.

"So…" Kim trailed along after her. "What was that bright light?"

"It flashes when a new soul has arrived."

"Shego really is the welcoming committee?"

"She told you that?" Bonnie laughed and crossed her arms over her chest. "That's both a lie and the truth."

"A lie?"

"It's not an official job." Bonnie clarified. "But it might as well be."

"What's that even mean? Why does she do it?"

"You'd have to ask her that one."

"I'm asking you."

"Let's take a walk." Bonnie suggested. She was willing to tell Kim more, but not if Shego were to return suddenly and overhear them. "Come on."

Frustrated, Kim wanted to refuse. Yet the look on Bonnie's face convinced her to agree. She frowned but nodded, and the two took to the streets. The first few minutes passed in silence. Kim followed Bonnie through the twists and turns of the streets. She wanted answers, but knew that pressing the brunette would cause nothing but trouble.

"Have you ever heard those stories?" Bonnie finally started. "About people who go through life or death situations – and when they come to, they seem like completely different people?"

"Like that guy who got trapped under that boulder."

"Sure." Bonnie had no idea what Kim was talking about, but it was immaterial. "That's because they really are different people."

"Like how your body has another soul in it?" Kim fumbled to understand the concept.

Bonnie's eye twitched, letting Kim know that she had come a little too close to the truth for Bonnie to remain comfortable. "Where do you think those souls come from? The ones that take over bodies?"

"From here." Kim answered obediently.

"Doy." Though Bonnie generally detested Shego's manner of speaking, that one word carried so much derision with it that she couldn't resist adopting it on occasion. "But which souls?"

Kim shrugged. "Is there like some sort of waiting room waiting list?"

"No."

"Then I have no idea."

"Well, Shego happens to think that if you rack up enough good karma here, the people in charge will use your soul."

"And so she's the welcoming committee." Kim added in. "In an attempt to make the light balls pick her the next time an open body comes along."

Bonnie nodded, but her attention had slipped from the conversation to their surroundings. They were drawing closer to their final destination. "Anyway, she's been doing this for a little over three and a half years."

Kim whistled, jamming her hands down into her new pockets. "Wow. And she doesn't even know if it'll work?"

"Correct."

"Just over three and a half years… Would this have anything to do with your arrival?"

Bonnie led them past the last line of buildings and came to a full stop in front of a door seemingly standing alone in the middle of the street. Above the door, in red neon letters, were the words 'Emergency Exit." Kim peered around the back of the door and was mildly surprised to find nothing but the back of the door on the other side.

"What's this?"

Bonnie reached out and pulled on the handle. Kim half-expected an alarm to sound, but the only thing she could hear was the beating of her own heart. A panel of dull white light pulsated in the doorway.

"This is the exit." Bonnie pointed to the sign above the door. She would have ridiculed Kim's ability to read, had this not been a somber moment. "It's where souls go when they get sick of waiting."

"What's on the other side?"

"Nobody knows." Kim reached curiously towards the light, but Bonnie smacked her hand away. "Don't be stupid, Possible."

"What?"

"Don't go towards the light." Bonnie intoned sarcastically. "Nobody that's ever touched it has ever come back."

Kim gulped but smiled. "Well, if that were to happen to me, you could just tell Shego to take my body."

"Oh please." Bonnie scoffed. "Like anybody but you would want your filthy body."

"Plenty of people have wanted my body." Kim sniffed.

"Mm-hm. Sure."

Kim finally noted that Bonnie had steered the conversation quite deftly away from talking about when Bonnie had arrived in the waiting room. Unwilling to be pushed around, Kim grabbed Bonnie's shoulders and made the other woman stare into her eyes.

"What happened when you got here that changed Shego?"

"Leave it be." Bonnie ordered.

"Listen – I'm not going to be here forever. I'm a great person to talk to. I'll take your secrets to the grave because in a few days I won't even remember them."

"I don't need your help, Possible."

"Rockwaller." Kim responded.

"Ugh, fine." Bonnie threw her hands into the air. "If you really want to know…"

"I do."

"Fine. But you don't get to ask questions about any of it."

x-x-x

When Bonnie took her first step into the waiting room, an avalanche of relief crashed down around her ears and buried her unease. The pulsating white light bobbed near her shoulder and she turned to it, smiling.

"So I get to stay here, is what you're saying?"

The light flickered and Bonnie understood somehow that it was confused by her inquiry. "Yes, you must stay here."

"For as long as I want?"

"Technicians will be dispatched at their earliest convenience and once work has been completed, you will return to your server."

The hesitant smile on Bonnie's lips quirked down. "What if I don't want to go back to that – to my body? Can that dumb substitute soul stay until I'm ready?"

The ball brightened. "Substitute souls are strictly controlled to avoid complications. You will be returned to your body in approximately one day."

One day, Bonnie thought, didn't seem like quite enough. She had been looking for more like a complete vacation from her life that would end in her never returning. All too soon the ball vanished and she stood alone in the tiny room. For a moment, she remained, arms wrapped tightly around her midsection. But in the end she forced herself to walk to the broken wall opposite.

"Holy…" Bonnie gazed out at the shanties strewn about.

Her heart thudded unevenly against her ribcage. She stumbled down the slight hill and nearly toppled into a man, who roughly shoved her to the side. With all the grace of an inebriated house cat, she tumbled to the ground. A complaint was forming on her lips, but she couldn't bring herself to vocalize anything beyond a disgruntled groan. She dusted her knees off and stood again. The slight pain she felt was nothing.

For what felt like an hour, she stumbled around. The people were so bland, she thought, and nobody bothered her. Nobody knew who she was, and nobody seemed to care either. This place, she thought, was perfect.

"Watch it."

The first voice Bonnie had heard since arriving startled the teal-eyed woman out of her state of wonder. She jerked back and found herself staring into narrowed green eyes. The lanky woman before her looked angry, if the furrowed eyebrows and slit eyes were any indicator, but unlike the other people Bonnie had run into, this one did nothing more than stand in front of her.

"You should watch it." Bonnie retorted.

The smallest tilt of the other woman's lips made Bonnie relax. "You must be new here."

"Maybe I am. Maybe you've just never seen me before."

"So there's a flash of light – which means someone new has shown up – and then I run into a complete stranger. Coincidence?"

"I'm Bonnie."

"Shego."

"What is this place?"

"I've just been calling it Shanty Town."

The two eyed each other, one curious and the other suspicious. Bonnie opened her mouth ask an additional question, but Shego tossed her hair over one shoulder and began to march away. Well fine, Bonnie thought, let her leave. It wasn't as if she needed anyone's help. Except that, well, she sort of did. Bonnie would have rather yanked out each of her fingernails than admit that, but it was true. She bolted off after Shego.

"Wait, you can't just leave me."

"I can't?" Shego snorted. Bonnie noted how much the other woman liked to toss her head. Perhaps, Bonnie thought with an internal laugh, Shego had been a wild stallion in a previous life.

"No, you can't. You're going to tell me how things work here."

"Why should I bother? How long until you leave?"

"Never."

Shego's eyebrows shot up, but she immediately regained composure. "Is that so?"

"Well, technically a day or something, but I'm not going back. Nobody can make me."

"What happened to you?"

It was Bonnie's turn to toss her head. She stood, hands akimbo, and frowned. "That's really none of your business."

"It can't hurt to talk." Shego insisted. "I'm as close to a therapist as you're going to get here."

The sudden change in Shego's mood and the burst of congeniality threw Bonnie off balance. She wrinkled her nose. "Does it really matter? I don't want to go back. I'm staying here."

For the next day, Shego continued hounding her for details of her life – which Bonnie grudgingly gave, depending on the question. When it was time to return to her body, Shego tagged along with her to the small room atop the small hill.

Without waiting for the ball of light to speak first, Bonnie proclaimed, "I'm not going. You can't make me."

The ball shimmered. "Request understood."

Shego raised her brow. "You're just going to leave a substitute soul?"

As if it hadn't heard Shego, the ball pulsed. "We will need you to sign an additional waiver."

Bonnie accepted the clipboard that appeared before her and read through it quickly. It stated in general terms that upon signing the document, Bonnie was agreeing to absolve the aforementioned party of any liability and that she could not bring a complaint before the council at a later date. She had always thought she'd feel more hesitant about giving up her life, that perhaps something would change her mind at the last second, but it was easier than ripping off a Band-Aid to scrawl her name at the bottom of the form.

The light of the ball grew too intense to look at. When Shego's vision cleared, Bonnie was slumped to the floor and another woman had materialized next to the ball. The ball opened a portal and the woman stepped through. Shego's jaw dropped and she lunged to Bonnie's side.

"What did you sign? Where did that woman come from?"

Bonnie could barely hear the questions. Her eyes stared blindly around – the light having blocked her vision temporarily. A ringing in her ears blocked most noises. But she could feel Shego's hands on her shoulders, jerking her around and finally easing her to her feet.

x-x-x

Bonnie led Kim back down the streets, purposely ignoring Kim's constant glances backwards. The door was certainly interesting, she'd give Kim that, but she didn't care to hang around it too long. For the first few minutes, Kim was able to obey Bonnie's command – no questions – but Bonnie knew better than to expect that to last.

"Why didn't you want to go back?"

"Does it matter?"

Kim pumped her legs faster to keep up with Bonnie's pace. "Why haven't you gone through the door?"

"I owe Shego too much."

"You can't leave her."

"Enough." Bonnie whipped around and snagged Kim's upper arms in an iron-like grip. "All I asked of you was that you keep your questions to yourself. And now this extends to commentary as well."

Kim jerked free. "I just want to know what happened."

"I told you what happened. You want to know what it all means." The last half of her sentence was dripping with sarcasm.

"So maybe I do. Is that such a bad thing?"

"Possible. Are you aware of how often souls flutter in and out of here?"

Kim shrugged. "Well, I've been here for a day or two, right? And I've only seen one other soul show up."

"One soul from seven billion on the planet." Bonnie turned and continued walking. "Sometimes it's more, sometimes we go weeks without a new resident here. Either way, most people leave within a few days."

"What's that got to do with answering my questions?"

"My point is that I don't feel the need to share personal details with some fleeting nobody who's curious about my past."

Kim flinched at Bonnie's tone and was grateful she was a few steps behind the brunette. "I'm not a fleeting nobody."

"You might as well be."

As they approached Bonnie's shack, they noted Shego's limp form on one of the lawn chairs. Kim watched Bonnie stalk past the residence and instead of following, chose to drop down into the other open chair. Shego flickered one eye open.

"Where'd you two go?"

"She showed me the emergency exit."

Shego laughed, but the noise was muffled by her closed mouth. "She thinking about going through yet?"

"Not yet." Kim settled back in the chair. "To be honest, I think I made her pretty mad."

"Most people do."

"But not you?"

"Oh especially me. That's why she likes me." A wry grin curled Shego's lips.

"Is your entire purpose in life to just be some sort of snarky asshole?" Kim knew it was probably unfair to unload the building frustration onto the green woman – but Shego had bested her in a fight and had tried to humiliate her with the gift of ugly clothing. She did regret her word choice, though.

"That about sums it up."

"Argh." Kim flopped back and tried to close her eyes. She knew she shouldn't sleep, but that didn't mean she had to have her eyes open. "I just – you're too much."

"I know." Shego watched Kim from the corner of her eye. It wouldn't be proper to be caught staring, after all. "So what did she tell you?"

"She filled me in on how she met you."

"How much did she tell you?"

Kim rolled onto her side to look Shego in the eyes. "Not much. Just how she showed up here and you were all nasty and talkative."

A derisive look crinkled the skin near Shego's eyes. "Wow, you know me so well, Princess."

"I'm curious."

"Of course you are."

"What's with the pet names?"

Shego shrugged. "Keeps you at a distance, doesn't it?"

Kim frowned. "Pet names are usually terms of endearment."

"When you mean them, sure." Cutting off Kim's reply, Shego eyeballed Kim's clothing and smirked. "Looks good on you."

Kim glanced down her form and flushed. "The top was too big."

"Meh. I guess I assumed you had a bigger chest." Shego averted her eyes. "Whoops."

"No, it's fine. Thank you."

Silence lapsed between them and Kim felt the gentle call of sleep luring her closer to a nap. Shego caught glimpses of Kim's face relaxing until Kim's eyelids had shut completely. She took a moment to examine Kim's face and nearly reached out to caress it. Catching hold of herself, Shego frowned. This was behavior quite unlike her. Unwilling to pass up such a brilliant opportunity and determined to feel more like herself, Shego eased off of her lawn chair and grabbed the side of Kim's. With a quick jerk, she upended the chair and tossed Kim haphazardly to the ground.

"What are you doing?" Kim screeched. She lunged to her feet, her red hair swinging wildly around her face.

"No sleeping, Princess. Would that make you Sleeping Beauty?" Shego mused.

For a split second, Kim felt her stomach clench pleasantly at the insinuation that she was a beauty in Shego's eyes, but she pushed the sensation away. "I wasn't sleeping. I was just resting my eyes."

"I'm sure." Shego rolled her eyes. "Well, since little Miss Rockwaller saw fit to grace you with her story, I may as well tell you mine. It's not as interesting as hers, but it ought to keep you awake."

Kim's irritation fled her, as if it were a rabbit catching the scent of a wolf. "What happened?"

"I was running away from an explosion – some dingbat set it off – and I got caught in it. The injuries to my body were pretty intense, and I guess I got disconnected or whatever. Before the little ball men could fix me up and get me back, my body died." Shego settled back down into her lawn chair. "The end."

"What?"

"Some other stuff happened I guess. Blah blah blah."

"You're even more cryptic than Bonnie." Kim accused.

Shego gestured for Kim to lean closer. "You want to know what really happened to your chum?"

Kim nodded. "Unless she doesn't want me to know."

"You won't remember in a few days anyways." Shego tossed her hand, waving away the very idea that Kim would use this information for anything other than to satisfy her own curiosity. "She killed herself. Or she tried to."

Kim nearly lost her balance. "Bonnie Rockwaller? Suicide?"

"Hey, you knew her then, not me."

"I wouldn't have thought – but she was so popular…" Kim murmured. Her eyes flickered to the shack's door, as if it were a stand in for the other woman. "Her family was rich."

"I'm sure." Shego resigned herself to the fact that she wasn't going to just sunbathe in peace any longer. "You want more details? You talk to her."

"What if I want more details about you?"

"Good luck with that one."

"If you want, I'll make up some history for you…" When this evoked no reaction from Shego, Kim decided to continue. "I think there was no explosion – well, maybe there was. But you were too busy hugging orphans to notice. You're a good person, beneath your mean exterior."

"Oh, gee, you saw right through me. Good guess, but no. I don't do hugs."

"But the orphans? You were saving them, then."

"Also something I don't do."

"No? I guess I just thought – well, it's what I do, so I assume other people would want to save orphans as well."

"There were no orphans." Shego snapped. "Just a couple of bratty kids."

Kim leaned forward, sure she was getting somewhere. "And you saved them?"

"No." Shego dismissed the idea. "Leave me alone, will you?"

Kim pouted, jutting her lower lip out and batting her eyes. But as Shego's eyes were closed, her pout was rendered ineffective. Grouchy, but still interested, Kim turned her eyes to the street. A sallow looking man wandered past the yard, moving at about the same pace as a sloth. He gazed straight ahead and didn't deviate from his path.

"People here are pretty boring."

"Yes, you are."

Kim's mouth tipped up at the corners. She was starting to get the idea that Shego's snark was akin to sleight of hand. It was a distraction, so that nobody saw what was really happening. The thought made her want to try harder, to understand more. Nothing was impossible for a Possible.

"I've been through my own fair share of explosions."

"Will you drop it?"

"Is that going to be your favor?"

"No. My favor remains that I want you to let me have your body."

"That's not going to happen."

Shego sat up and swung her legs around. She shot a parting glance at Kim and hurried inside. The women here were inscrutable, Kim thought with a pang of sadness. Their stolid refusal to tell her anything was wearing on her optimism.

x-x-x

"Why won't you tell me?" Kim stood next to Bonnie, who crouched in the front yard. The brunette was pushing dingy pink plastic flamingo into the ground.

Bonnie shot her a dangerous glare, a warning. "Because it's really none of your business."

"Come on! Aren't you supposed to keep me entertained while I'm here?"

"Go watch television." Bonnie ordered. She gave Kim a small shove, fully aware of the physical retaliation the redhead could enact if pushed fully. "Stop bothering me."

"I can't. Shego said something about her soaps."

Bonnie stood and pressed firmly onto the flamingo's back. She wished the light balls were more creative when it came to fulfilling her requests, but she'd accept anything that detracted from the miserable monotony of the world. The pink, anyway, was a nice addition to the yard – even if it was an ugly bird.

"She just watches one of the channels, because the woman is a complete train wreck." Bonnie twisted the flamingo until it was perpendicular to the shanty. "Has a new boy friend every few days, the way Shego tells it."

"Ah, yes. So the drama." Kim placed her hand over Bonnie's. "Listen, I wanted to apologize. I shouldn't have pushed you earlier."

"She told you, didn't she?"

The blood drained from Kim's face. She had never been proficient at lying. "Yes."

"I swear, she'd tell her own mother's secrets if she thought it would lead to an interesting confrontation." Bonnie sighed. "I know you're just dying to ask, so go ahead. Just this once."

"Why'd you do it?"

For a few tense seconds, Kim wasn't sure Bonnie was going to answer, but the brunette let out a large gasp of air and answered on the next breath. "You wouldn't understand, I know – but if you really want to know – high school wasn't exactly a dream come true."

"But the popularity? The boyfriend? The money?"

"Trifles. You may have only had Ronald, but at least you could count on him."

Kim thought back to how Ron used to follow her around – the way his face lit up when she entered a room. He had been and continued to be a dear friend. "I could. But Tara…"

"Was afraid of me." Bonnie whispered. She couldn't say now that she was at all proud of how she used to treat other people, although she hadn't changed much. "Everyone was. You were the only one who had the backbone to talk to me like an equal, and even you would rather watch me burn than spit on me."

"That's not true…" Kim trailed off. She wondered if that wasn't truly how she felt in high school.

"It doesn't matter now. It was stressful. I hadn't gotten in to the schools my parents wanted me to get into. I didn't have the grades, and the only extracurricular I took part in was cheerleading. Try convincing a dean that you're well rounded with that sort of background.

"My parents were beyond disappointed. They were talking about cutting me off until I got my act together. And then a month before graduation, Brick broke up with me. He told me I was just dead weight – that I was too stupid to keep up with him. With him…" Bonnie reiterated. The humor was not lost on Kim, but she couldn't bring herself to laugh. "To put it simply, my life was terrible. I'd spent so long trying to impress everyone, and finding out after eighteen years that I'd done nothing but fail… I just didn't want to deal with it. So I didn't."

"How'd…" Kim stopped herself. That was an awfully personal question, one that Bonnie might not feel like dredging up an answer to.

"Pills."

"Oh."

"Did it… you know… hurt?"

"Yes."

Kim wanted to pull the other woman into a hug, but could tell from Bonnie's rigid posture that such an advance would not be accepted. So instead she hugged her arms around herself and nodded. Bonnie hoped that would put to rest any and all of Kim's preponderances.

"I just have one more question."

"Oh please. Apparently I'm just an open book today, Possible."

"Is that why you don't want to go through that door?"

"What?"

"Well, what you said earlier – about walking away from the light. Do you think that you die when you go through there? That your soul passes on? It finally rests?"

"I don't know about that."

"But you're afraid that it is. Are you afraid that Hell's on the other side?" Bonnie's eyes flickered and Kim sensed that she had dug a little deeper than Bonnie was willing to allow, so she backed off. "Well, either way, you're here and you don't plan on leaving."

"Not while Shego needs me." Bonnie was incredibly grateful that Kim had stopped probing for information, but all she could muster was a small shrug of her shoulders.

"How long will that be?"

"Until she finds a new body to inhabit."

"Not mine." Kim shook her head. "Sorry, but I want my body."

"I wasn't saying it had to be yours." Bonnie stared at the flamingo and decided that she really didn't like the thing. She grabbed it by the legs and yanked it from the ground. With a holler, she tossed it over her fence and watched it crash to the ground near a woman's outstretched legs. "God I hated that thing."

x-x-x

The three crowded around the television while Kim plugged her number in. Bonnie had expressed an interest in seeing some of Kim's memories, while Shego pretended not to care about what was going on around her – despite not being able to move her eyes from the screen.

"So just hit the rewind button until you find something you want to share."

Kim cradled the remote between her palms. "This is going to be so weird. Seeing the memory from the outside."

"Pick something good." Shego grunted. "Like your first time."

Kim blushed, hating the way her skin tone matched the color of her hair. "No, you don't get to see that."

"Whatever." Shego commented. Kim wondered if she detected a hint of disappointment in the other woman's voice. "But if you bore me, we're going back to my soaps."

"I'll try my best." Kim promised and hit the rewind button.

* * *

**A/N****: **So I call it MoRon. Because it's dumb. I glanced through the Kim Possible archives and there really hasn't been any Monique/Ron fictions. I demand justice! Or at least an explanation. Sorry this took a while. I've been distracted. Swan Queen anyone? Anyone? No- just me? Hm.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Kim watched as her life zipped past in reverse. She went from lying in a hospital bed, to her apartment, to the bar – and then things began to speed by even faster. A small ticker in the upper right hand corner of the screen kept track of the time and date.

"You going to pick something, or just make us stare at your boring life?"

"I'm picking something." Kim groused. Shego's voice irritated her to no end. It was an odd contradiction with the sultry nature of Shego's body. "Hold your horses."

"Don't have those."

"Bonnie, make her behave."

Bonnie twisted in place and glanced at Shego. There was really nothing she could do to make the green woman do anything she didn't already want to do. But sometimes she could make Shego think it was her idea in the first place.

"Don't even try." Shego snipped.

"I wasn't going to." Bonnie sighed. "But all this bickering… I might just have to break the television."

"I'd just get another one."

"I'd break that one too."

Shego's nose wrinkled and her hands tightened into fists. This hypothetical war could rage for hours, she knew, so instead of continuing the inane banter, she turned her attention back towards the ceiling. Sensing that this was the eye of the storm, and not a true reprieve, Kim hurried through her memories to find a good one.

x-x-x

From Kim's seat on the couch she could clearly watch the flow of emotion on faces of her parents. She had lured them away from her brothers by simply stating that she had something to tell them, and that it was pretty important to her. The last time she'd said something like that to them, she'd told them about her first girlfriend, and now they were wondering what else she could possibly tell them.

"Mom, Dad…" Kim started. "I think I know what I want to do with my life."

"You've chosen engineering?" James grinned proudly. "I always knew you would, Kimmie-cub."

"She didn't say that, dear."

"But she was going to. Right?"

Kim glanced at him and then quickly away. She couldn't maintain eye contact with him, not when he was radiating pure joy at the thought that she was following in his footsteps. "Not exactly."

The smile dropped from his lips like an anchor from a low flying plane. "What do you mean?"

"I mean…" Kim trailed off. She meant exactly what she said. She wasn't exactly going to go into engineering.

"She means, dear, that you should listen before jumping to conclusions." Ann soothed. "So Kim, what do you want to do?"

"I was thinking about maybe… you know… going to medical school…"

Silence descended over them. Though this was partially what she expected, Kim was disappointed. She was disappointed in herself, for knowingly making a choice that would make part of her parental unit displeased. She was disappointed that James would let his personal desires for her future take precedence over her happiness. And she was disappointed that he could make her feel like she was making the wrong decision.

"So… that's out there." She whispered.

"Oh, Kimmie, if that's what makes you happy, then I'm happy." Ann leaned forward to give Kim a tight hug. Kim burrowed into her mother's arms. "Isn't that right, James?"

James hesitated. "Kimmie, I think you could do so much more in engineering. You've got such a brilliant creativity – and a pliant mind. Why, you could change the world if you set your mind to it."

"I'm going to, Dad. As a doctor."

"I've seen the tech you developed with Wade." He tried again. "Please don't waste your potential."

"I'm not opposed to building things… I just don't think I want to do it professionally."

"You're only a sophomore. You've got plenty of time to make the right decision."

Kim opened her mouth to argue, but let her jaw click shut a moment later. It would be futile to continue the discussion. James was not pleased with her decision and they both knew that no amount of arguing would sway him. She stood up, kissed each parent on the temple, and walked calmly to her bedroom.

She pulled out her Kimmunicator and scrolled through her contacts. The relief she felt when the call was answered was immeasurable.

"Kim, what's wrong?"

She clung to the phone. "I told them."

The woman on the other end clucked her tongue. "And I take it they weren't pleased?"

"Mom was. Dad… not so much."

"We knew that would happen. It's going to be okay."

x-x-x

"This is getting boring." Shego leaned down and snagged the remote. "Too long, didn't watch."

Kim tried to snatch the remote back but ultimately failed. Fine, she thought, let Shego have her way. She shrugged. "I just thought you'd want to see something interesting."

Bonnie slapped Shego's hand and took the remote. Once the device was back in Kim's hands, she glared at Shego. "She chose to share something personal with us. Way to ruin it by acting like an asshole."

"No, she's right. It was boring. Sorry." Kim clicked the screen off.

"Who was on the phone?"

"That was my girlfriend at the time."

Shego sat up. "Do you have any memories of anything actually interesting? Or should I go ahead and leave now?"

"Shego." Bonnie felt torn between her one connection with her past and the woman who had helped her regain her sense of self. But that gave her an idea. "Kim, why don't you find a memory of us as freshmen. I'm sure Shego'd get a kick out of that."

"Your lives are so boring, I doubt that." Shego sniffed. "Nothing like my soaps."

"Our lives in high school were as much like a soap opera as reality could get." Bonnie argued.

"We both wanted the same guy for a boyfriend." Kim offered. "Fought pretty hard for him, too."

"And then there was the bickering over the head cheerleader spot."

"Plus…"

"I get it. You two were teenybopper rivals." Shego waved her hand derisively. "Lemme know if you think of anything actually worth my attention."

Bonnie watched Shego stalk from the room, the hurt in her eyes evident. Kim placed a hand gingerly on Bonnie's shoulder. The brunette shook the hand free, though it was quite comforting, and sighed.

"I wonder what's gotten under her skin this time."

"I probably just bored her with my dumb memory."

"It wasn't dumb."

"You know, you've changed a lot since high school."

Bonnie peered at Kim with a blank expression. She examined Kim's honest face closely. "I would assume so. People change."

"I guess I just sort of thought that things here would be different. That the flow of time would somehow freeze you just the way you were so you could just slide back into your body."

"It doesn't work that way."

"I get that now." Kim fiddled with the remote. "Why do you think Shego's so hostile towards me?"

"She's hostile towards everyone."

"But especially me."

"To be honest, I think she hates that you get to leave this place – and she's stuck indefinitely."

"It's gotta be more than that." Kim rubbed her face with one hand. The other hand braced her against the wall. "I've never met someone who was so angry with me for no apparent reason."

"Well, don't let it get to you, Possible." Bonnie snipped. She, for one, was glad that Shego wasn't particularly friendly towards her old nemesis. It had been hard enough to earn the green woman's amicability, so if Kim had just waltzed into Shego's good graces… She shook the thought away. "She's just a prickly person. If she were an animal, she'd probably be some sort of fire-breathing porcupine."

"I think I'm going to go for a jog." Kim smiled at Bonnie, but the expression didn't quite reach her eyes. "I'll see you later."

x-x-x

Shego slouched back in later as if no conflict had arisen. She shoved Bonnie without much vigor, just enough to make the other woman scooch over on the cot. When enough space was provided, Shego sat down and kicked her legs over Bonnie's.

"Why'd you tell her about me?"

Raising a single eyebrow, Shego shot Bonnie a questioning look. "I didn't think you'd get your panties in a twist over something like that."

"I specifically told you not to tell her anything. It's my business to tell her if I want. Not yours."

"Yeah, well."

"That's not a very good answer."

"It's the only one you're getting."

"Do you like her more than me?"

Shego turned her face so that Bonnie couldn't read her reaction. The woman would make her own decisions regardless of how Shego really felt, but Shego refused to feed into any sort of paranoia. Sighing, Shego shrugged.

"No, but I don't think anything I could say would change your mind. You already think I do."

"You're meaner to her than you are to me."

"You want me to be mean to you?"

Bonnie nibbled on her lower lip. Perhaps it was ridiculous, but she truly felt that anger was a legitimate manner of conveying affection. Eighteen years of living with her family had convinced her of that – but Shego's response implied that her anger didn't necessarily equate to fondness. So Bonnie found herself without a good answer.

"I just want you to like me. I guess."

Not one to offer comfort, Shego shifted her weight and considered her response carefully before speaking. "Why would you want something like that?"

"Because you're all I have now." Bonnie noted how Shego refused to say the three words that would ease her mind – probably on purpose. But saying 'I like you' was as foreign to Shego as speaking Swahili.

"Yeah, well, I'm sorry I don't meet your expectations, Rockwaller."

The use of her last name made Bonnie twitch. She twisted a lock of her hair between her forefinger and thumb before pushing the hair rudely behind one ear. Shego locked eyes with her.

"I have no expectations of you."

"Don't feel that way to me."

"Maybe you should get your head out of your ass so you can actually get a grip on what's going on here." Bonnie spat. Her temper had not cooled despite her years with Shego – if anything it had come to a wicked point. "If you want to spend your damn time with that interloper – fine. Get out of here."

"I'm just trying…" Shego paused when Bonnie turned her body away and tuned her out. She reached over and grabbed Bonnie's chin with bruising force. Pulling the brunette's face towards her, Shego stared into teal eyes. "Listen to me. This is not some sort of popularity pissing contest, Rockwaller. She has a body to go back to and I want it."

"So anxious to ditch me here?"

"You can exit whenever you want." Shego reminded her. "That's up to you."

Bonnie yanked away. "Maybe you should spend less time here."

"Is that what you want?"

No, Bonnie thought. "Yes."

"I guess I can do that." Shego stood and walked to the door. "You know, after so many years of just the two of us, it's stupid really how little it takes to push us apart."

x-x-x

Kim jogged along the winding path, quite adept now at dodging listless bodies. She still greeted most of the people that crossed her path, if only to try and draw something other than a blank stare from them. It was just so bland in the waiting room. It was as if everyone had a hidden off switch built into them and this room knew exactly how to flick it.

"Hey there. Nice weather we're having, isn't it?" She tipped her head at an elderly man seated on the ground. He stared up at her, wonder in his eyes. "You have a good one, sir."

Maybe, she thought, she could just run forever. Her body never seemed to tire and any perspiration that she generated was gone the moment it touched the air. It seemed entirely possible that she could run in circles for days until her real body was ready for her to return. That way she wouldn't have to talk to either Bonnie or Shego, as neither one seemed to want to have her around for extended periods of time.

"Possible."

Kim bounded to a halt, depressed that she wasn't even the slightest out of breath. "What?"

Padding up to her, Shego waved Kim's manual. "What have I told you about leaving this thing laying around?"

"Don't do it?"

"At least you're not as deaf as you are dumb."

"That was uncalled for." Kim snatched the manual from Shego's fingers and tucked it into the waistband of her jeans. "Thanks."

Just as Kim was about to bound off again, Shego reached out and snagged her arm. "Wait a second, Possible."

"What now?"

"You've been telling Bonnie how much I hate you."

"Is that a question? Or a statement?"

"Both."

"Well – yes, I guess. I just get the feeling you really don't like me and I can't figure out why." Kim responded. She began a leisurely stroll and stepped easily over a few lugubrious bodies.

Shego hurried to join her. "I don't dislike you. I just don't like anyone."

"I got that much."

"So there you have it."

Kim shook her head, causing her red hair to swing wildly around. "I don't think that I have anything."

"I… I don't think I can tell you anything that'll explain much."

"I think you can."

Shego grimaced. "Princess, you should really learn when to stop prying."

"Fine. Don't tell me anything."

"What's with everyone and the damn drilling today?" Shego shoved Kim's shoulder. If all else failed, she figured, direct confrontation was a great way to change the subject. "First Bonnie and now you. Do I have some sort of 'Pick a Fight with Me' sign on my back?"

"I'm not trying to pick a fight." Kim quickly worked to calm Shego down – which was what Shego was aiming for. "I'm sorry. I didn't know Bonnie and you had a fight."

"Yeah, well."

"…Want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

"Then why'd you come all this way to hunt me down?"

"Your manual."

"You could have kept it safe at Bonnie's."

"You should have it with you at all times."

"Someone's going to steal it, I suppose, without constant vigilance."

"Doy."

Kim stopped walking abruptly and Shego quite nearly ran into her. She dropped back a step and eyed the redhead warily.

"I – uh – I seem to invest too much energy into people who will never give me what I'm after." Kim murmured. A vision of her father appeared at the front of her mind. "So if you could maybe… leave me alone for a while. It might be best. I need some space."

Shego recoiled. Kim's words were like a blowtorch to the ice sculpture that was her self-esteem. Twice in one day, she thought. It was almost enough to make her reconsider her approach to other people. "If that's what you want."

No, Kim thought. "No… It's not what I want. But I think it's what I need. I barely know you, but somehow I want validation from you. And that's not right."

"Why would you want validation? Especially from me?"

Kim's gaze softened. "I'm all alone in a world I have no idea how to navigate. Talk about culture shock. You – you're at home here. You know what you're doing, how things work – and me… I'm relying on you and Bonnie to just keep me together. I'm partially convinced this is either a dream or some sort of psychotic break from reality. But I can't accept those things and not just sit in a corner laughing or crying or both."

"This is real." Shego assured her. "Or else I've spent ten years caught in a nightmare."

"I'm not sure if that's supposed to be comforting." Kim picked at the hem of her shirt, the shirt Shego had given her. "Am I doing this right?"

"Doing what?"

"This." Kim gestured to the world around them. "I just don't know. And as far as learning the ropes, you and Bonnie are all I have."

"So why not ask Bonnie?"

"I don't know." Kim admitted. "I guess because your opinion will mean more."

Shego felt slapped and her breath hitched in her throat. "Why?"

"I don't know."

"You shouldn't like me. I hate you."

Instead of backing off, like Shego wanted her to, Kim reached over and grabbed Shego's wrist. The green woman's skin emitted a comforting warmth. "Why do you hate me?"

Hell, Shego thought, what was the point in hiding it any longer? Kim would be gone sooner or later, and it's not like she'd remember. "That accident I was in. That sent me here. You caused it."

"What?"

"Do you remember, about ten years ago, going to the Alps to stop a blue guy from nuking Austria?"

Kim sorted through her memories. The mission sounded like something she would have done, but she couldn't quite remember it. "I'm going to need a few more details. You'd be surprised how often that happened to me."

"You would have had a sidekick with you." Shego continued. "Drakken was the guy's name. The blue guy."

"I know Drakken."

"Of course you do."

"We used to fight him all the time."

"Think back to your first encounter with him."

Finally Kim's eyes widened. "Right! He was all set up in this laboratory built into the side of a mountain. I thought it was a mega bad decision because the mountain was mostly made up of snow and ice…"

"Bad decisions all around, huh?" Shego snorted. "I was his… accomplice, I guess you could say. Sidekick is too demeaning, and lackey too subordinate."

"I don't remember you at all."

"That's because I saw you two for what you really were: just a couple of kids who didn't pose a real danger to me. So I let you confront Drakken unfettered. Unfortunately, Drakken was an idiot."

"Still is." Kim confirmed.

"Fine, unfortunately, Drakken is an idiot. I watched you exchange pleasantries from up in the rafters. Your dumb friend took himself out with some sort of hair drier."

"Grappling hook."

"Sure. But you wouldn't leave Drakken alone. Wouldn't let him flee with his failure. No. You had to rush him, make him panic. He hit the self-destruct button." Shego's nose crinkled angrily as her eyebrows creased together.

"I had to get Ron untangled and then we ran for the exit."

"There was plenty of debris blocking your way, though you probably wouldn't have known. I was blasting it clear for you. So you could get free and not get caught in the explosion."

"Thank you." The sincerity of Kim's words made Shego cringe. "I never knew."

"Well as you were escaping, you threw a charge to stop the last door from closing on you. When it went off, you got out, but you also started an avalanche. I stayed back to keep it from crushing you so you could make a getaway. I thought my powers would keep me safe – but the force of the snow knocked me back into one of the metal support beams."

Kim winced at the thought. "And your soul got jolted free."

"Correct." Shego sighed. "The rest I got to watch on my television. I got buried alive. By the time Drakken thought to find me, I had suffocated."

"You had to watch your body die on screen?"

"I shut it off before it got too bad." Shego said dismissively. "So there you have it. Why I will always hate you."

Kim gnawed on the insides of her cheeks. For someone who claimed to hate her so entirely, Shego seemed awfully concerned with her well being. "So the whole point of telling me this…"

"Was to answer your damn question. Doy."

"I think I read about your on the internet after it happened, but I didn't think much about it. I didn't connect that you were there that day."

"Well, you're not the smartest of people." Shego tried to insult the other woman, but felt her malice lacking. Kim barely felt the sting of the words.

"I'm really sorry. I wouldn't have thrown that charge if I'd known…"

"It's in the past."

"So many things are." Kim assented. "But I want to do something for you. I want to make it up somehow."

"Give me your body and we'll call it even."

"I… I'll think about it." Done with the conversation, and a little sorry that she'd pushed it as far as she did, Kim ducked her head. "Well, I'm going to keep jogging now."

"Mind if I join you?"

Although Kim was hoping for a bit of solitude, she found that she couldn't deny Shego's request. The woman had died for her, after all. "Sure."

Shego smirked. She could tell from Kim's tense shoulders and slight frown that her presence was in actuality unwanted. All the better, she determined. "Thanks."

The two set off at an easy jog. Kim stolidly kept her eyes directly in front of her, but Shego cast sidelong glances at the smaller woman. Kim was pretty, she admitted silently, if a little short for her usual tastes. But, she thought, she could look past that as Kim seemed larger when provoked. An angry Kim was sort of like a puffer fish fully expanded.

Kim heard the derisive chuckle from her jogging partner and picked up the pace to pull a little further ahead. She would hate for anyone to assume they were together. Unwilling to be outdone, Shego increased her pace as well. Shortly thereafter both females were sprinting as fast as they could in no particular direction. Whoever happened to be in front led the way.

"Why does everything have to be a competition with you?" Kim panted out. She wasn't out of breath, but it didn't seem right to have sprinted a mile without some sign of the effort.

"I don't see you giving up."

"I'm not racing you. I'm just running really fast and you happen to be nearby."

Shego laughed and bent her head. "Okay. You have some pent up energy, huh?"

"You could say that."

"Race you back to Bonnie's?"

"What does the winner get?"

"Pride."

"What about a favor?"

"Favors are for hand to hand combat, not foot racing."

Although she knew Shego was making up the rules on the fly, Kim shrugged. "Then we're on."

x-x-x

"Have you heard from the doctor?"

"Anything?"

Ann held the phone a few inches from her ear so that the voices of her twins wouldn't deafen her. "We haven't heard anything yet."

"Aw man."

"That blows."

"I know." Ann leaned against the outer wall of the hospital. Cell phones were frowned upon inside and she needed a breath of fresh air. "But they're doing the best they can for her."

"What are we going to do…"

"…if she doesn't wake up?"

"I wasn't going to say that!"

"Boys."

"Yeah, ma?" Their two voices chorused in unison.

"Think positively, okay?" She had no desire to talk to her kids about the possibility that Kim wouldn't wake up, but the idea was running over and over in her head. Kim's motionless body haunted her sleep. "We have to keep our spirits up."

"You got it."

"How are your classes going?"

"Can't say I've paid much attention today." Jim demurred. It was indeed hard to concentrate when his sister was incapacitated.

"Same."

"Well, you two stick together okay?" She was glad they went to the same school and lived together. When they had first gone off like that, she was worried they wouldn't develop into separately functioning adults – but they had done nothing but support each other in exactly that endeavor. "I'll give you a call tonight and let you know how things are going."

"Love you mom."

"I love you two too."

Ann tucked her phone into her pocket and stared out at the parking lot. It had only been a few days. It was too early to start thinking through the what-ifs. Kim was going to recover… but if she didn't… Ann rubbed her palms over the top of her jeans and took a steadying breath. It wasn't going to happen that way. With one last breath of fresh air, she turned and returned to her vigil at Kim's side.

x-x-x

"You two are like children." Bonnie chided.

Shego shoved Kim out of the way and threw herself through the doorway. "And with that, I am still the reigning champion of everything."

"You tripped me a few blocks back."

"A true winner can overcome obstacles."

"You're both losers." Bonnie shook her head. "Care to explain?"

"We raced." Kim glared at Shego. "And someone decided to cheat."

"No, someone decided to maximize on her advantages."

"I think I'm leaving."

Shego and Kim ceased their bickering immediately and stared at the olive skinned woman. Bonnie stared back at them, alternating her gaze between them.

"What?" Shego was the first to break the terse silence. "What do you mean?"

"I mean… I think it's time I walked away."

"I'll stop coming by, if that's what's bothering you." Shego offered.

"No. I mean I'm going to go through the exit."

Kim cocked her head. "But I thought you…"

"You thought wrong, Possible. There's really nothing for me here." Bonnie avoided Shego's gaze.

"So you're just going to leave me alone?" Shego demanded. Her shock was rapidly evolving into fury. "Just going to walk away from our life?"

"This is your life." Bonnie retorted. "I was merely here until something new and amusing came along."

"Ouch." Kim rubbed her arm as if Bonnie's words had been a physical blow. "But I'm not staying, Bonnie."

"As if that matters, Possible. You just showed me the truth of the matter. I'm useful as long as nobody else is around to entertain her. And I can't do it anymore."

Shego fought an internal war. If she could just vocalize how she actually felt about Bonnie, then perhaps she could convince Bonnie to stay. But she wasn't used to honesty, especially when dealing with her feelings. She sputtered out a few unintelligible phrases.

"Shego needs you…" Kim supplied.

"She told you that?"

"No… you told me that." Kim sighed. "But I'm sure it's true."

"I'm not as sure as you are."

"Stay." Shego muttered. She was so quiet that Bonnie nearly missed it.

"I'm not your dog, Shego. You can't just spit out a command and assume I'll be at your feet, wagging my tail."

_I'll be all alone_, Shego wanted to say, _in this horrible place where nothing changes. I'll be stuck and I'll probably go crazy again. You stopped that before, but there won't be anyone to save me from my thoughts next time._ The words clashed against her teeth.

"I didn't call you my dog." Shego growled. "I told you to stay because that's what's best."

"For you, or for me?"

"For both of us!"

"You're just afraid of being alone!"

Bonnie's words honed in on Shego's weakness and Shego snarled in response. Kim felt, not for the first time, like a complete outsider. She could add her opinion to the battle, but she didn't see the use. This seemed like an argument a long time in the making.

"That's not true at all."

"Oh?"

"You're just jealous."

"Of who? Possible? Don't make me laugh. It's not me that kowtows to her for a chance at getting her body."

"Am I kowtowing?" Shego sneered cruelly. "I thought earlier you were complaining that I was meaner to her than I am to you. Which, of course, means I wuv her so much more than you."

"You wouldn't be the first." Bonnie sniffed. "Say whatever you want to, Shego. Make my decision so much easier."

"What the hell, Rockwaller! I told you to stay!"

"And I told you no!" Bonnie launched herself forward, her fists swinging at Shego's face. Though Shego could have easily dodged the attack, she remained in place and let the smaller woman wale on her.

Kim could stand by no longer. She approached the screaming match turned violent and latched onto Bonnie's arms. Bonnie struggled to get back at Shego, but Kim pulled her back and then put herself between the two combatants.

"Let's just talk about this." Kim kept her tone even and calming.

"I'm done talking. Possible." Bonnie hissed her name and Kim visibly flinched.

"Bonnie… I'm not here to hurt you or to take your place or… I don't know! Do something that you don't like."

"That's what makes it the worst I think." Bonnie seethed. "You stroll into every situation and people just fawn over you. It's not fair."

"I'm sorry."

"Doesn't even matter. You were better in life, and now you're better here. I hope you don't die anytime soon, because I don't think I could stand you being better in death, too."

Kim cringed, but had no direct comeback. She remembered their high school years, which Bonnie had seemed so in favor of reviewing just hours earlier.

"Don't make a hasty decision." Shego wiped a small bead of blood from the corner of her mouth. "I'll respect the decision you do make, but don't do anything stupid."

"That's pretty funny, coming from you."

"I'm serious."

"So desperate to not be alone?"

"You never had to deal with it." Shego insisted.

"And with luck I'll never have to."

Kim tried to imagine living years of her life in the waiting room with nobody to talk to, nobody to laugh with, nobody to fight against – the vision that conjured was not a pleasant one. Shego had saved her life ten years ago. That was ten years that she had enjoyed to the detriment of Shego's wellbeing. She wasn't sure she could add more time of miserable isolation on top of that.

"Bonnie, if you're really so set on leaving… Shego, you can have my body."

* * *

**A/N: **Happy new year and stuff!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Despite her firm words, Bonnie wavered in front of the exit. Kim stood near her, a hand continuously reaching towards her, but not quite touching her. Hidden in the shadows of a building a block away, Shego crouched and glared.

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes." Even as she said it, Bonnie's eyes darted to the ground and her heart fluttered.

"You don't have to."

"Maybe I wouldn't if…"

"If…?"

"It doesn't matter." Unsure of why she did so, Bonnie stepped into Kim's grasp. "You'll take care of her?"

"She'll be gone in a few days."

"Until then?"

"Sure." Kim tugged Bonnie to her and hugged the bristly brunette. "You don't have to go if you don't really want to. You could stay here."

Bonnie hesitated, but eventually wrapped her arms around Kim's middle. She tightened her grip, knowing this might be the last physical contact she ever received. For a moment Kim thought to say something. But her brain left her lacking – there was simply nothing more that could be said to her high school rival. There were clearly issues between Bonnie and Shego that a heartfelt 'It'll be okay' couldn't fix.

"I promise I'll look after her."

Bonnie clenched her eyes shut and tensed her arms before drawing back. "What will you do after she takes your body?"

"I was thinking about staying here for a little while. Watching how she does with my body. I know – I know I won't be able to change anything, but I think I'll want to make sure things go smoothly. But in the end, I probably won't be far behind you."

Bonnie nodded and placed her hand on the door knob. "Do me a favor?"

"What's that?"

"Could you maybe trip when you go through this door?"

Remembering their previous conversation, Kim smiled sadly and nodded. "I'll make it the biggest mess up this world has ever seen."

Another minute passed between them as Bonnie's eyes darted to the shadow that she knew was Shego and back to the door several times. When the shadow didn't budge, Bonnie swallowed roughly past the lump growing in her throat.

"Tell her something for me?"

"Sure."

Kim stepped closer to hear Bonnie's whispers. Once the message had been heard and memorized, Bonnie pecked Kim's cheek, opened the door, and stepped through. The door snicked shut behind her.

x-x-x

Ron yawned and stretched. His outstretched arms brushed against his bedmate and a blush rose up his neck and over his nose. She stirred beside him so he rubbed her shoulder gently to lull her back to a solid sleep. It seemed she was destined to wake, though, as his phone jangled loudly from the bedside table.

"You gonna get that?" Monique murmured. Her hair drooped over her face, but Ron could tell from her tone that she was smiling. "Could be important, hm?"

"Yeah." He wiped the sleep from his eyes and grabbed the annoying device. "What's up?"

"Ron? It's Ann."

Ron sat up, ever careful not to jostle Monique. "Did something change?"

"No, but I just wanted to keep you updated."

"Oh… Well – thank you. I appreciate it…"

"I'm sorry I'm not calling with better news."

"Me too…" He frowned at Monique and she grimaced back at him. "So what's new?"

"The doctors are still trying to figure out what caused it. They thought at first that it was alcohol related…"

As Ann prattled on, Ron found his attention diverted to Monique. She pulled the covers back, revealing her nudity. She bent over to gather her clothing from the floor and stood up slowly. He felt an awful lot like a creep watching her until she twisted her face to him and winked.

"It's just so hard, Ronald."

He cleared his throat and tried to pick the vein of their conversation back up. "I know, Missus P."

"What am I supposed to do?"

The ineffable optimism of his childhood resurfaced briefly. "She's going to get better."

"I'd agree – if only we knew what was wrong with her."

"She just went through a lot of stress." Ron reasoned. "Maybe her body was just all like, peace – time for a vacation! And just, I don't know, shut down for a bit."

Ann's laugh hitched in her throat and Ron wondered if she had been crying. "I'd like to believe that, I think."

He let her laughter peter off. "I don't mind talking to you, but… why not your husband?"

"He's just so damn sad." She demurred. He almost couldn't hear her words, but he strained his ears. "I'm just – it's difficult telling everyone it's going to be okay."

"Sometimes you just gotta hear it back."

"It's more than that. You're the closest person to Kim. So it's as close as I'm going to get to her right now. I talk to her, still… but who knows if she hears me."

"I think she does." He affirmed, finally kicking his legs off the bed and standing. "And I think it is helping. She's probably so bored right now. Kim doesn't do the whole lounging around thing. So being confined to a hospital bed is probably driving her crazy. Your voice makes it more bearable."

"Thank you, Ronald."

"You're welcome Missus P."

"I… I should let you get on with your day."

"Well, you give me a call whenever you need to."

He tossed the phone aside and padded towards his bathroom. Monique intercepted him in the hallway and pushed a mug of coffee into his hands.

"Is everything okay?"

"No change."

"Ready for your shower?"

He stared into her darkening eyes and then turned his eyes to the wall beyond her head. "Listen, Mo… Not that you're not a bangin' chick, because you are, but why are we doing this?"

"Because it feels good. It does feel good, doesn't it?"

The memories of the previous evening made him grin. "Yes, of course. But I mean it. You never liked me before."

She shrugged. "Sometimes you just need someone else."

"So when Kim gets better…"

"We'll see where we are, okay?" She put her hand on top of the mug and pushed it down so she could lean in and kiss him soundly. "Now drink your coffee."

Part of him felt a little used, but he couldn't bring himself to argue. Instead he slurped down the burning liquid and let his eyes graze her figure. Being used by Monique was hardly a horrible experience, he determined.

x-x-x

Kim stalked past Shego and tried to radiate how very little she wanted to talk to the other woman. Shego fell into step beside her and respected Kim's wishes for all of a block of walking. As she opened her mouth, Kim raised a finger and pointed it at Shego. It jabbed into Shego's chest.

"You didn't say good bye."

"So?" Shego slapped the finger away and crossed her arms. "I said good bye before."

"You'll never see her again, you know?"

"Sure I will. Her body's out there, just like yours is. And since I get your body, and your body often sees her body…"

"It's not the same and you know it. You won't remember being you, and that Bonnie won't act like this Bonnie."

"So what? Your point is that in a short while neither of us will remember the other. So why should it matter if I didn't say good bye?"

Kim stared at Shego, wondering if the woman could possible believe the words that she was saying. "You're impossible."

"It doesn't matter!" Shego lost control over her temper for a split second but quickly reigned in the volume of her speech. "She's gone. I can't go back in time, can I? Don't you think I would have done that if I could?"

"To say good bye?"

"No."

Kim had Bonnie's message on her lips, but it languished there and went no further. Shego didn't deserve to hear it, she thought. The woman was impossible. She was cryptic and guarded and wholly unfriendly.

"I think it would be best if you kept your distance."

"Can't stand knowing I get your body?"

"I can't stand knowing that you're an asshole. Bonnie was mean, sure, but she never deserved the treatment you gave her."

"You know what I'd go back in time to do?" Shego waited, but Kim didn't respond past grimacing. "I'd go back and let you get caught in that avalanche instead of me."

A hysterical giggle slipped past Kim's lips. "You hate me that much, huh?"

That wasn't it at all, Shego wanted to say. She shook her head and turned away. Kim watched sadly as the other woman held her head high, proudly, and marched in the opposite direction. It confused her that she felt like she should be apologizing, while it had been Shego who had acted reprehensibly.

x-x-x

Bonnie's home felt empty to Kim, even emptier than the bare shacks around her. Kim curled up on the empty cot and groped around for the remote. She hit the rewind button and then settled in for a long wait. Just as her eyelids were drooping lower the television sputtered and she twisted to look at it.

She watched her own birth mutely. Her mother looked completely exhausted, but completely elated, when the squalling bundle was placed into her arms. Even after labor, Ann was beautiful. Kim pawed at her eyes. She'd never see her mother again. James entered the picture and kissed Ann's forehead.

"She's perfect."

"She has your nose."

James reached down to the baby and gently booped the nose in question. The baby screamed and sobbed until Ann cradled it to her chest and whispered softly in its ear.

"Your name is Kimberly Ann Possible. You were born today. You are loved."

As the baby quieted, Kim cried. She had a lifetime now to watch her life. She could dwell in the happy moments, revisit her victories, or wallow in her own sorrows. Sooner or later this would be all she had.

"You in there?"

Kim hit the pause button on the remote and stared at the doorway. "No."

"I'm coming in."

"I said no!"

Shego entered anyways, her hands open in front of her as if she were expecting an attack. "Will you just listen for a second?"

"Why should I?"

"Because you're not doing yourself any good sitting here and sulking."

"Like you would know."

"I'm just trying to prepare you." Shego approached slowly as if Kim were a deer likely to bolt at a sudden noise or movement.

"For what?"

"For… when I'm gone, too."

"Oh that." Kim wiped her face clear but knew her eyes were still red-rimmed. "I'll be happy about that."

The words hurt Shego more than let on. Fighting a cringe, Shego walked to one of the easy chairs and slumped into it.

"Sitting here, watching your life – it's not going to make you happy."

"Is that what you did?" Kim's curiosity overrode her waning anger.

"For a while." Shego stared at the paused screen. "Honestly, I don't know how long I did. Until Bonnie got here, I had no idea how long I'd been here. You start to lose track."

"Why didn't you just turn a television on and check the date in the corner?"

"It just doesn't matter." Shego maintained steady eye contact with Kim. "You'll find out just how little everything matters to you."

Kim found that hard to believe. How could she just stop caring? "Maybe that was true for you…"

"It's true for every person that comes through here. What makes you think I'm any different than those zombies out there?"

"You're still lively enough."

"We're all doing the same thing. Waiting for a higher power to let us go home. Bonnie… she was truly different." Shego fought to keep her voice even. She couldn't let Bonnie know any of this, but she found it too easy to talk to Kim. "She wasn't waiting for a body."

"She was waiting for you."

"She already had me." Shego waved her hand dismissively, cutting off Kim's transmission of Bonnie's message. "She was here because of some deluded notion that she owed me something. She owed me nothing."

"Maybe, but maybe not."

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does." Kim insisted. "Have you been here so long that you think absolutely nothing matters?"

"Some stuff matters. The stuff you can change." Shego noted how Kim was edging closer to her. "Which rules out everything here."

"You can change anything you want to. Everything could matter to some degree."

"What can you change here?"

Kim dipped forward, careful not to lose her balance, and cupped Shego's cheeks. Shego's skin was cooler than she expected. "You can change yourself. Did you forget that you matter?"

Shego's first instinct was to recoil, but she fought it successfully. When things got too emotionally charged, Shego did was she did best - change the subject. "It's not healthy to live in the past. You'd do better watching someone else's life."

Kim found herself faced with two options: she could let Shego wriggle away from a sensitive subject, or she could push. The tinge of fear in Shego's eyes decided for her.

"You do matter, Shego. You saved my life ten years ago, and I think that you've spent those ten years hiding from it."

"It?" Shego tried to pull back, but as gentle as Kim's grasp was, it was also unyielding.

"You did something good."

"I already told you I'd take it back."

"But you never told me why."

Shego grunted, wanting to avoid this entire conversation, but accepted that she was stuck. "If I hadn't saved you, maybe we both would have lived. People would have been out searching for you in a heartbeat if you hadn't made it home."

"And you wouldn't have gotten caught under the snow."

Suddenly Kim was struck by the tragedy of Shego's story – it had taken Drakken too long to look for his companion. There must not have been anyone else who cared about Shego's wellbeing. Her hands dropped from Shego's face.

"Right."

Kim tried to imagine that set of circumstances. It would have meant running into Shego later, every time she faced down Drakken and his evil plans. The thought was a cruel reminder that Shego wasn't necessarily a good person.

"Why were you helping Drakken, anyway?"

"Paid the bills."

"That's it?"

"I don't know what you're digging for, but I can't give you some sort of sob story. He paid well and I got my exercise in. I know you want so badly for me to be good, so you can know your body won't be misused, but…"

"That's not it." Kim responded. "I just… I can't stand the thought of you being stuck with that idiot."

"I'm stuck with you, aren't I?" The attempt at humor fell flat and an awkward silence descended. Feeling surly, Shego frowned. "Sorry."

"Would it be alright…"

"What?"

"Nevermind."

"You don't get to pull that." Shego argued. "You wouldn't let me change the subject, so you don't get to either."

Unwilling to ask what she really wanted, Kim pointed to the television. "Would it be alright if I went back to watching? I have twenty two years to get through. I figure I can save some time by fast forwarding through the times when I'm asleep."

"I don't believe you."

"Believe what you want." Kim hit play. "If you want, you can stay and watch. Learn a little something about the life you'll have."

Shego slipped onto the cot next to Kim and shrugged. "If this is how you want to spend your time here, I guess I can't stop you."

Kim's finger stopped above the play button. "What do you suggest we do?"

"I could show you were the request desk is."

"The request desk." Kim repeated. "What's that?"

"It's a help desk, really, but it's where you can make requests. For clothing and stuff."

It went unsaid that Shego was still preparing Kim for the time after. Kim shook her head. "I don't need to know. I won't be here much longer than you."

"You're going through the exit?"

"Shego, you waited ten years before someone was willing to give you her body. I don't think I can do it alone. And honestly, I don't see the difference between going back to my body and going through that door."

"The difference is life and death."

"You think." Kim stated and shrugged. "But you don't know. My guess is that you don't remember this place after you exit. So in either direction, the time here is like a dream."

"Do what you have to."

"I'm going to." Kim leaned her head against Shego's shoulder and was mildly surprised when Shego gingerly placed her arm around her waist.

x-x-x

Any surprise Shego may have felt when Kim kissed her several hours later was overridden by the feeling of Kim's lips on hers. It was a small action, just a slight tilting of Kim's head from its position on Shego's shoulder until their mouths were barely touching.

"What are you doing?"

"You don't want to watch my memories."

"I never said I wanted to kiss you either."

"Can't you just give me this?" Kim's hands scrambled and clung to Shego's shirt. "You won't remember it later."

"Pumpkin, this is a bad idea." More so, Shego thought, because of how good it felt to her. "So back off."

"I'm running out of time. You're going to deny me my last wish?"

"You're going to play that card?"

A tear trickled down Kim's cheek. "I'm going to be alone soon enough, Shego. Is it so awful that I want companionship while I can get it?"

"That's not what this is about." Shego brought her hand up and wiped the stray tear away.

"Do you not like how I look? Because that's tough, because this is how you're going to look."

"That's not what this is about." Shego repeated.

"Then fill me in?" Kim shoved Shego roughly. "You shout at me. You apologize. You walk away. You hold me. Is this what you did to Bonnie for all those years? No wonder she wanted to get away from you."

"I – I'm not the easiest person to get along with." Shego allowed. She kept the hurt from her voice and avoided eye contact.

"What is this about?"

"It's about Bonnie."

Kim sat in stunned silence until her voice caught up with her whirling mind. "That explains nothing, Shego."

"If I were to – if we were to… It would mean she was right. That I was throwing her away for a pretty new toy."

"Is that what you were doing?"

"No." But, Shego thought, she would never be sure it wasn't the case subconsciously.

"Did you ever kiss her?" Kim hadn't intended on the jealousy that seeped into her tone.

"No."

"Did you want to?"

"Kiss her?" Kim nodded, so Shego continued. "Not particularly."

"Do you want to kiss me?"

If the tiny peck earlier had been any indication of Shego's desire, then Shego would truthfully have to say yes. She wanted to reach over and tuck a strand of Kim's hair back behind her ear, but refrained.

"I can't. It'll be too much like kissing myself." Kim's crestfallen face made Shego's stomach twinge. "Can you just let it go?"

"I'm going to…"

"Don't leave. I'll go." Shego stood up and hurried to the door. "I know you don't believe me when I say it, but I'm pretty sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Kim muttered. There were a slew of grievances, in her opinion.

"Sorry that I can't give you what you want."

The apology did little to sooth Kim. The redhead let her body fall fully onto the cot as the television began playing again. Shego waited in the doorway. Despite her stated intention, she couldn't just leave the despondent woman lying there.

"Come on, Princess. I just invented a game."

Kim barely lifted her head. "Hm?"

"You don't get to be all slouchy and grouchy and moody yet." Shego scolded.

"Says you."

"Yup, says me. Now get off your ass and come with me."

Out on the street, Shego took Kim's hand and led the redhead down the avenue. The fake grass crunched under foot but all Kim could focus on was Shego's fingers lacing through hers. Shego could say what she wanted, but her actions betrayed her real thoughts. Kim squeezed Shego's hand.

"So what's the game?"

"I haven't really thought up a name for it. You, uh…"

"There is no game, is there?"

"Not yet." Shego admitted. "But I am nothing if not filled with ingenuity. The point of the game is to get one of the sleepwalkers out here to respond."

"I've been trying that since I got here."

"But now it's a competition. First person to get a rise of any kind out of anyone wins."

"Wins what? A favor?" Kim teased.

"I told you before – favors are for fist fights."

"Sure." Kim chuckled. "You're just worried that I'd use my favor to ask for my body back."

"You wouldn't get a favor because you won't win."

"Put your money where your mouth is. The winner gets a favor."

Shego smirked. "Fine. Winner gets a favor."

"We get to pick the other's target." Kim invented. "So it's fair."

"Fine again."

Kim pointed to a balding man staring at the sky. "He looks good to me."

"And you take him." Shego singled out an overweight gentleman kneeling in the grass with his eyes closed.

Nodding her approval, Kim approached her target without another word to the smarmy green woman. She knelt before the man and clapped her hands in front of his face. Shego rolled her eyes at Kim's use of elementary tactics. Shego skipped straight to screaming at her target.

When the clapping failed, Kim pinched the man's arm. He turned his bland face to her and raised his eyebrows. "What do you want?"

"Can you react please?"

"Hmph."

Kim heard a loud smack behind her and deduced that Shego had probably delivered a jaw-rattling punch. Wrinkling her nose, Kim set her mind to getting the man to crack without resorting to violence.

"I'm here to tell you that your body is dead." She invented. "You're stuck here forever."

"That's nice."

"It's not just dead. It's… being used for science."

"Hm."

"For robot science. The planet was taken over by robots. Dog robots. With human brains."

A look of pure confusion crossed the man's face. Perplexed, he cocked an eyebrow. "Dog robots?"

"Your body was the first they harvested."

"You one of those crazies?"

Ah, Kim thought, this might just work. She draped herself on his body and ducked her mouth near his ear. "They're coming for your soul next!"

"Get away from me."

She responded by wrapping her arms around him and pretending to let a spasm wrack her body. "You're next!"

"Get away from me!"

Kim turned her face to Shego. A shout was a rise, in her opinion, and from the look on Shego's face, it definitely counted. The man Shego was harassing had barely moved. Before Kim could gloat, Shego was demanding a two out of three deal.

"No, I won – for once. I want my favor."

Shego grumbled but acquiesced. "What do you want?"

"I want…"

"No, tell you what." Shego interrupted. "Because you refuse to go two out of three with me, I get to decide what your favor is."

"That's not even remotely fair."

"I know." Shego responded and looked down her nose at Kim. "But I make the rules."

"What are you going to give me? If it's good enough, maybe I'll accept it as my favor."

"A kiss." Which was, Shego decided, much better than letting Kim ask for anything the quirky woman desired.

Kim's face lightened. "I think I could get behind that. But there are some parameters."

"Of course there are."

"You can't only go half-way. I want it to be a real kiss, not just me smooshing my lips on you."

Shego waved her hand. "I'm not a twelve year old boy, Princess."

"Just so we're clear. Also, I get to decide when it happens."

"Not now?" Shego's eyebrows bounced together.

"No. I'm going to save it for when I really want it." Kim nodded smugly. Shego could think she had all the power, but Kim knew how to be manipulative when she needed to be. "Now let's go home."

"Meh." Shego groused. She followed Kim back to Bonnie's shack. The closer they got, though, the more Kim's features drooped. "Maybe we should go to a different shack."

"She wouldn't want us to abandon it."

"What do you want?"

A million tiny desires coursed through Kim. She wanted to go home. She wanted to hug her parents. She wanted to tease her brothers. She wanted to go medical school. And she wanted to be with Shego. The conflicting desires drove her to close her eyes tightly for a moment.

"Bonnie gave me a message for you."

Shego's steps faltered. "She did?"

"She said she wanted you to be happy. She was here because you made her happy when nobody else could, and she said she was going to wait with you until you found a way to be happy, too."

"Then why did she leave?"

"Maybe she thought you had a way to be happy now."

The thought hung between them. Kim imagined it as a thin rope tying them together. They walked side by side until they reached the door. Shego reached for the knob and ushered Kim in ahead of her.

x-x-x

The manual lit up on the fifth day of Kim's hospitalization. Shego noticed first and tapped Kim's shoulder. Kim glanced up from the television set and didn't seem to understand why Shego was flourishing the booklet in her face.

"It's time."

"Is it?" Kim felt like she could relate to Bonnie's trepidation. The fear sat in her stomach and made her queasy. "I guess… we should go to the room. Right?"

"Right."

Kim grabbed the manual and hugged it to her chest while Shego helped her to her feet. Verbally giving Shego her body had been so much easier than the follow through was turning out to be. Each of Kim's feet felt like sandbags that had been cut from a hot air balloon, had plummeted to the ground, and were sitting in tiny craters.

"You coming?"

"Yeah."

"Listen." Shego stared into Kim's eyes. "I know I took this as my favor but… I'm not a complete asshole. If you want to back out…"

Kim seriously considered the offer for a moment, but she found she couldn't accept it. Bonnie's decision to leave had been predicated on the belief that Shego would have a body to go to, that Shego would not be alone.

"No. I meant what I said, and I said what I meant."

"An elephant's faithful one hundred percent." Shego finished.

"I wouldn't think you'd know Dr. Seuss." Kim murmured. It was a good distraction.

"My mom used to read me Horton Hatches an Egg to get me to sleep at night."

"I wish you'd remember your time here. Who you are, I mean."

"Why?"

"You could look her up."

"I wouldn't know what to say."

Kim trudged towards the small room atop the small hill. Shego was anxious to get there, but understood Kim's hesitation and was respectful enough to walk beside her. She couldn't help but feel a little like an executioner. All she was missing was a black hood.

"I'm going to stick around for a while."

"What for?"

"Watch some of my life's greatest hits. Make sure you're not mucking about too badly." Kim gripped Shego's arm like a vice. "I know I can't change anything, but I'd just like to know. I want to see my parents happy again."

"I see."

Kim halted a few yards from the building and turned Shego to face her. "I'm cashing in on my favor now, if that's okay?"

Shego nodded. She knew it was coming as Kim was running out of moments to use it. She ducked her head lower so Kim wouldn't have to strain as hard to reach her mouth. Kim took a steadying breath and moved in.

Tentative at first, Kim slid her lips over Shego's as if she were afraid the other woman would suddenly disappear. True to her word, Shego committed to the kiss and ran her tongue over Kim's lower lip until Kim opened her mouth ever so slightly. As Kim's hands slid around her neck, Shego felt a wave of regret crash over her. This is what she should have given Bonnie, she thought. Perhaps not a passionate kiss, but whatever it was Bonnie needed to say good bye.

Kim lapped at her mouth, hungry for the physical contact. Shego held Kim's shoulders tightly, as if they were lifelines and she was floundering at sea during a storm. The kiss extended longer than Shego expected, but both women knew that the moment the kiss was over, Kim would be saying good bye to her life.

Eventually Kim drew back and nuzzled Shego's neck. "Thank you."

"I should be saying that to you." Shego murmured.

"Let's do this."

"Take your time."

"No. If we don't do this like a Band-Aid, I don't think I'll be able to do it at all." Kim dragged Shego behind her and into the room.

A pulsing light met them there. "We apologize for the delay and any inconvenience this may have caused."

"No big." Kim flipped her hand at the ball of light. "It happens."

"Are you ready to return?"

"Actually… I want Shego here to have my body."

The ball flickered. "We apologize, but we do not understand your request."

"Put this soul," Kim gestured to Shego, "into my waiting body."

"You do not wish to return?"

"I wish Shego to return."

"Highly unusual, but we suppose that it is not unheard of."

A clipboard popped into Kim's hands. She glanced at it and briefly read through it. "Signing this means Shego will get my body, right?"

"Signing that waives your claim on your body, yes."

Kim took the pen with shaking fingers and signed her name at the bottom. "There you go, Shego. I hope you, uh, enjoy it."

"Thank you." Shego stepped closer to the ball. "So what happens next?"

A brilliant beam of white light blinded both women and Kim fell to her knees, sobs wracking her body.

* * *

**A/N: **Is it over? No, of course not. The course of true love never did run smooth, blah blah blah. Thank you to each person who has reviewed. The kind words mean a lot to me and it pushes me to not make this crappy. You're the best.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

When Kim's vision cleared, she found herself alone. Which was to be expected, she supposed. She sat motionless, unable to muster enough energy to stand or even crawl away. There would be time for that later. Nobody would judge her for wasting time on a dirty linoleum floor, as there was nobody around to see her. It might not even be considered wasted time.

She used the hem of her shirt to blot the tears from her face and to smudge the mucus dripping from the tip of her nose. Crying rarely solved problems, but it had a lovely cathartic effect. She felt empty, which was better than feeling full of pity and woe. Her legs were unsteady, but she wedged them against the ground and forced herself to stand.

"Well." She cleared her throat. "I might as well go back to Bonnie's. I guess. Gosh, I'm not alone for more than a few minutes and already I'm talking to myself. Totally not crazy."

She should hurry, she thought, so she could watch her body wake up and witness firsthand the joy on the faces of her family members. Before she could walk away, however, another flash of brilliant light blinded her again. She blinked the dots from her vision as quickly as she could.

"What's going on?"

Kim blinked quickly to clear her vision. "Shego?"

The other woman stepped through a freshly opened portal and fell against her. "It's not fair."

"What happened? Why are you here again?"

"My fucking plasma." Shego wanted to hurt something. The urge overwhelmed her - she pulled away from Kim and slammed her fist into the nearest wall. Had she a real body, her hand might have broken on impact. A pity, she thought, that it didn't.

"We apologize for the type mismatch." The ball of light responded. "However it would be ill-advised to match a soul to a server that would cause damage to the server."

Kim scrambled to Shego's side, the implications flying through her mind. All the waiting Shego had done was for nothing. "Shego…"

"Leave me alone." Shego snapped.

"I'm so sorry."

"Just get out of here." The green woman shoved Kim roughly and Kim tumbled backwards. Once again she found her eyes on level with the linoleum.

"Soul unification process resumed."

The ball pulsed behind them and another woman entered the room. She glided along the floor and through the portal. Kim staggered to her feet again, whipped around, and rushed to follow, but the portal closed. Kim stumbled through empty air.

"What just happened?"

"I don't know." Shego removed her fist from the wall and massaged it gingerly.

"You don't think…"

"Let's get back to Bonnie's."

Kim hesitated. "But what if they come back to put me in my body and I'm not here?"

"Come on, Princess."

As they walked together, their hands linked almost subconsciously as each woman sought a semblance of support. They reached Bonnie's shack and Shego graciously allowed Kim to enter first. Kim flicked the television on.

x-x-x

"Mr. Possible?"

James looked up from his coffee. He had been banished from his daughter's hospital room – for his own good, the nurses had claimed. Ann talked to them earlier, he knew, and it was under her orders that the nurses had evicted him. Still, he had no ill will towards either his wife or the medical staff. He knew he looked a mess.

"Your daughter – she's awake."

His eyes flashed. "What's that?"

"You should hurry up there. Your wife is already there."

Throughout his childhood, James had never been a very athletic boy. He had built robotic pants to move his legs, so he wouldn't have to run during recess. He had crafted small propellers onto his flippers so he wouldn't have to swim when his family vacationed by a lake. But at the moment he jumped to his feet and the minutes following after, he would have bested the fastest sprinters in the world in his haste to reach Kim's room.

"Kimmie-cub?"

Kim sat up slowly, her eyes blinking but not seeing at first. When her eyes focused on the graying hairs at James's temple and the wide grin on his face, she smiled back at him weakly. She lifted a hand from the bed and reached towards him.

"Daddy."

"I'm so sorry." He clung to her, burying his face into her shoulder so nobody would see his tears. "Forgive me?"

"Yes."

Ann tugged him back so that she could settle closer to their daughter. "You gave us such a scare."

"Sorry." Kim's hand flew to her forehead and her eyes closed. "I have such a ferocious headache coming on."

"I'll get a nurse."

"Not yet." Kim rubbed her temples with her fingers. "I don't think I'm ready for you to leave my side. I just got you here… How long was I out? What happened?"

Ann took over the head massage with willing fingers. "You were comatose for about five days. As to what happened…"

"They're not sure." James supplied. He held Kim's hand tightly between his own. "They think that all the stress you've been under made you shut down. Your body has its own defense mechanisms, after all – and if you needed a break and weren't going to give it one…"

"It took its own vacation." Kim finished.

"That's the best answer they can come up with. None of your other results signaled any sort of medical problem."

Kim relaxed into the gentle caresses of her parents and fought a yawn. She had just woken up, but her body felt like it hadn't rested at all. Falling back asleep, though, was not high on her list of priorities – who was to say she'd wake back up again if she did doze off again? Instead she kept her eyes wide and open, her brain alert.

x-x-x

"This can't be happening." Kim traced her fingers down the television screen. "There's gotta be some sort of mistake. A mix up."

"Yeah." Shego sat on the cot, her legs folded beneath her. "If I'm here, and you're here, too, then who's moving your body around?"

"You mentioned there was some sort of help desk?"

"Lemme guess – you want me to take you there?"

Kim nodded, her eyes forlorn. Shego waved off the pout and gestured for Kim to follow her. Fighting a debilitating hopelessness, Kim tailed behind Shego in silence. While Kim's thoughts swirled desperately around the mystery of her suddenly moving body, Shego worried wordlessly about the time after the problem was resolved- the time after Kim had left her.

She couldn't bring herself to walk through the exit. She wasn't as brave as Bonnie, she admitted to herself with a cringe. There were just certain unknowns that should remain unknown, she thought. Like what was beyond that door. If this place was purgatory, then what lay beyond was most likely a version of hell. She had earned no less during her time alive. But when Kim was gone, and with no hope of ever gaining a body-

"Don't look so down." Kim touched her shoulder to get her attention. "If anyone gets to be bummed by any of this, it should be me."

"Right."

"You don't believe me?"

"I think I have an equal right to be depressed right now, Pumpkin." Shego snapped. "It wasn't just your body, if you remember. We both lost out on the same thing. At least you have a second shot."

Kim's head dropped as if Shego had punched her. "I know that…"

"So if you want to play the boo-hoo game and compare which one of us has the bigger ouchie…"

"I'm sorry, Shego." Kim cut in. "I don't want to do this with you."

"Of course not."

"I don't know what else I can do for you." Kim shook her head slowly. "I gave you everything, and you still resent me."

"You gave me nothing, except maybe a lifetime here."

"You know what? I think I can find the help center without your help."

"Good luck with that."

"So not the drama." Kim flicked her fingers at Shego, unwilling to be the outlet for the other woman's pain. Whatever it was causing Shego's outburst, Kim was sure that it wasn't just her and she knew she didn't deserve the tongue lashing she was receiving. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah, maybe." Shego stalked away, though she did casually point her middle finger in the direction of the desk. When it came down to it, Shego would rather do the leaving. "See you around, Princess."

x-x-x

"So you see," Kim leaned on the countertop, "there must have been some sort of misunderstanding."

"We apologize for the inconvenience."

"I know you do!" Though Kim was trying to remain calm throughout the exchange, these little balls of light were infuriating. "The thing is, I was only giving up my body if Shego's soul received it. My signature was predicated on my belief that you things would give her my body. I didn't agree to anyone else taking it. It was either Shego or me."

A copy of the contract appeared on the countertop. "Here is the document in question. Please verify that the signature at the bottom was penned by your hand."

Kim reluctantly glanced at her signature. "It was."

"It explicitly states that the signer agrees to the terms as stated above."

"Does it?" Kim glanced through the wording and fought the rising desire to cry. "No, but, you see – the little ball of light helping me said that if I signed this, Shego would get my body."

"The file states that your server was unsuitable for the offered soul. In such a case, another soul is substituted."

"Right, but that soul should have been me." Kim felt like she was talking to a deaf two year old. The thing couldn't hear her and all it told her was no. "If Shego couldn't take my body, it was supposed to default to me."

"Our records do not show such a thing."

"Screw your records!" Kim slammed her fist down on the counter. "Give me my body back!"

"We apologize, but you have signed a binding…"

"I don't care what I've signed. I didn't agree to this."

The ball pulsed. "You may fill out a complaint form."

"A complaint form." Kim picked up the newest piece of paper before her. "What will this do?"

"We will investigate your claim."

"Does this mean I can get my body back?"

The ball flickering seemed akin to shrugging. "We can make no guarantees."

"Got a pen?"

Printing neatly, Kim began filling the form out with a frown marring her features. Under the section labeled "Reason for Complaint," Kim had to control her anger. She wrote carefully: You gave my body away. The wording she used in her head contained several more expletives, but wouldn't have gotten her closer to getting her body back.

x-x-x

"I'm sorry."

Kim stepped back out of Bonnie's shack just to make sure she had indeed entered the right home. She stepped inside once again and stared at Shego, baffled.

"Did you say that to me?"

"Who else would I be talking to?" Shego's temper had cooled, but that didn't mean she was ready to abide by idiocy.

"I don't know. I just – never would have thought you'd apologize to me."

"Yeah, well, treasure the memory."

"What for?"

"Because it won't happen again." Shego purposely disregarded the regularity of her apologies to Kim.

"No. I mean why are you apologizing?"

Ah, Shego thought. She had hoped they could sidestep most of this conversation, but appeared that Kim was determined to have it out. "Because."

"So eloquent."

"Let me finish."

"Please."

"Because… I was an asshole to you earlier."

"That's a true statement. And?"

Shego groaned. "You're really going to do this to me?"

"Yes." Kim padded to the cot where Shego was stretched out and made Shego look into her eyes. "I think you owe it to me."

"Fine. You didn't deserve the shit I said to you. We both lost out, but that didn't give me the right to say all that to you." Shego snorted. "We good?"

Kim flopped on top of Shego, who squawked indignantly at the intrusion. "Oh, be quiet. I know you don't want me here, and I know you think this is a bad idea. But… just for now?"

Shego eyed her warily but slid her arms around Kim's middle. The redhead nestled her head into the crook of Shego's neck and closed her eyes. Shego's heart thudded dully in her chest and she couldn't help but slip her fingers up under the back of Kim's t-shirt. When her fingertips grazed Kim's bare skin, the smaller woman smirked into Shego's pulse point.

"I thought this was a bad idea."

"It is."

"Just to be clear – I didn't do this to get something from you." Kim eased back so that she could stare directly at Shego. "I just thought, neither of us needs to be alone right now, y'know?"

"I know."

Shego let her fingers move in concentric circles and Kim relaxed back against her. They remained that way for some time, the only communication between them in the form of Kim's soft sighs and Shego's knowing grunts. Sensing that Kim was falling asleep atop her, Shego tickled Kim's side.

"No falling asleep, squirt."

"That's a new one." Kim whispered. "Why won't you just call me Kim?"

"What did the help desk tell you?"

"That I signed a contract waiving my right to my body. Which is true. So I filled out a complaint form."

"What are your chances?"

"Slim."

"Oh, I see."

Kim wondered if that had been relief in Shego's voice. She waved the thought away. "They said they'll look into it. But they wouldn't make me any promises."

"I wonder if people can sue them?" It was an idle thought, but made Shego's lips curl upwards. "Can you imagine the negligence claims? Or a courtroom full of little balls of light, all apologizing to each other for the inconvenience."

"Shego, this is serious."

"I know." Shego pulled Kim closer to her. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't want to think about it."

"You have to."

"I won't."

"Kim."

Though a shiver ran through Kim at Shego's use of her name, Kim refused to follow the thread of their current conversation. She knew Shego had only said the word because it was a surefire way to manipulate her. Well it wouldn't work, she decided. But then she felt Shego's lips on her collarbone.

"Shego?"

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know yet." Kim nearly mewled when Shego's lips left her skin. Wanting the contact back, Kim tried again. "I just want to see what happens. If I can get my body back, that'd be great, I guess… If I don't get it back – I want to see how things are, first."

"Things?"

"You." Kim elaborated. "I want to see how things are between us."

Shego flushed, her jade skin darkening to emerald. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I'm not crazy, Shego." Kim let the very tip of her nose ease along Shego's neck. From her vantage point, Kim could see each bump that rose on Shego's skin in the wake of her attention. "I know you feel it, too. No matter how much you claim you don't want it."

"All this cuddling's made you delusion." Despite her words, Shego didn't try to push Kim away, but instead tightened her grip. "And what happened to not expecting anything from me, you little creep?"

"Well, you're the one who started asking the tough questions."

"Yeah, I'm sorry for wanting answers."

Kim scrunched her nose and rolled off of Shego. Lying against Shego wasn't going to do anything but make everything more difficult. If her feelings for Shego intensified, she wasn't sure she'd be able to walk away and back to her body.

"We should spar sometime. I mean, you without your plasma, because it's an unfair advantage."

"I'd like that."

Keenly aware of Shego's eyes tracking her movement, Kim threw herself down into an easy chair. "I would, too. It's been so long since I've gotten exercise."

"You're telling me."

"Is there anything else you haven't done in a while?" Kim smirked. She hadn't intended on her question coming out rife with innuendo, but it did sound awfully like a come on.

Shego sat up. "Have you ever read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?"

"Once, in like my sophomore year of high school."

"What did you think of it?"

Kim strained to think back to it. "I mean, I was forced to read it – but I think I liked it. I always admired Huck. How he could just drop his life and head upstream with his friend."

"I understand that. He was my hero when I was a kid. He did what he wanted, regardless of what society said he should do. I used to dress up as him every year for Halloween."

Kim tried to picture Shego as a child wearing a little leather vest. It was too difficult to even imagine Shego as anything but a formidable woman, so Kim merely smiled. "I can see where you got your penchant for bad behavior."

"I ran away when I was fifteen."

"Why?"

"Remember at the beginning of Huck Finn, when the Widow Douglas tried to civilize Huck? Made him wear new clothes – decent clothes – and did her best to make him behave?" Shego closed her eyes. "I felt like that was my life."

"What do you mean?" Kim really wanted to ask why Shego was telling her this information, but wanted to hear the story more than she wanted an explanation.

"I grew up a tomboy. I kept my hair short, wore as little as possible, and stayed out playing in the dirt with the neighborhood boys. I got more scabs than should be humanly possible." A smile played on Shego's lips. "I spent more time barefoot in the garden than inside playing with dolls. Father didn't like that, but mom insisted I spend my childhood the way I wanted to."

"It sounds great."

"It was. But then – well, things changed."

"Did, uh, something happen to your mom?"

"Nothing so dramatic." Shego sighed. "My father allowed me to have my childhood, but when I was eleven, they both agreed I was old enough to cut out the boyish behavior. It wasn't cute anymore that people mistook me for a little boy. They took me to have extensions woven into my hair. That was the worst – sitting for hours on end while demanding hands tug on my hair. They threw out my shorts and tank tops and gave me skirts and blouses. They even put me through an agonizing class on how to properly apply makeup."

Kim winced. "But you're beautiful enough without…?"

Shego rolled her eyes at the blatant flattery. "When a comet crashed into my brother's and my tree house, giving us all super powers, I thought it was the answer. I thought they'd realize how close they'd come to losing me and they'd just let me be myself. But it just got worse. All sorts of attention was focused on us as a family and my parents were worried people would think they had five sons. I just… couldn't take it anymore. I wanted so badly to be Huck, to run away and never look back."

"So you tried."

"I wanted it so badly." Shego repeated. "I got halfway down the street when I realized that I had no marketable skills. I had like four dollars in my pocket, plus a handful of change. I had no idea where I was going to sleep for the night. I was just so helpless. I didn't have a river and a friend to travel with, so I walked home. They hadn't even noticed that I left."

"Why did you tell me that story?"

"You asked if there was anything else I hadn't done lately." Shego gazed steadily at Kim. "I haven't talked. I mean really talked. To anyone. About myself, or about anything. So… I guess…"

"Thank you."

Done sharing, Shego recoiled into herself. "Don't flatter yourself. You're just my only option."

"Thanks anyway." Kim bridged the distance between them with her hand. She squeezed Shego's thigh.

x-x-x

"K.P.! You're okay!" Ron's body wanted both to faint at the sight of his best friend and fling itself at her. After a brief moment of trying to do both, he squiggled to her side and kissed her cheek. "Man, is it good to see you up and about!"

"Ronny." She embraced him. "I'm so glad to see you, too."

"I'm so sorry." He grabbed her shoulders and stared seriously into her eyes. He refused to blink, as if any change in his eyes would signal that he was being dishonest. "I totally wouldn't have gotten you drunk if I knew you'd go all comatose."

"It wasn't your fault. Please, don't let it weigh on your conscience."

There was something different about Kim, he thought. She called him Ronny and spoke as if she were weighing each word. But she felt the same in his arms and her eyes sparkled the same way, too. Whatever had happened, it had perhaps changed Kim, but not entirely.

"I hear what you're saying, but it's gonna be a while before I believe it." He chuckled. "But I'll work on it."

"So what's been going on since I was, you know, out?"

They were alone at Kim's apartment. Though both Possible parents had been eager to stick around and help their little girl settle in and heal, Kim had dismissed them as politely as she could – claiming she just needed some time to herself. As soon as they were gone, she'd contacted Ron, who was only too enthusiastic to join her. Because they were alone, Ron leaned in close.

"I hooked up with Monique."

"You did what? With who?"

"You heard me." He puffed his chest out. "She said I was pretty damn good, too."

"So are you two… you know… a thing?"

"I don't know." He grimaced. "I think I'd like to try, but she's flighty. Like she can't stay in one place, with one guy, for long."

"Ephemeral." Kim agreed.

His face twisted a little at her word choice. "You been catching up on your word-a-day calendars?"

"I just – if you know a good word for something, why not use it?"

"Is this one of those prank shows?" He suspiciously examined the corners of the apartment. "You faked a coma and this is some elaborate joke?"

"No, Ronny." She hugged him again. "I'm just so happy to be alive."

x-x-x

"You know what I think?" Kim leaned over her legs. They were stretched out in front of her, and she ducked her head as close to her kneecaps as it would go.

"What?" While Kim wanted to stretch before they fought, Shego sprawled on a lawn chair.

"I think that I'm going to win this time. What are you without your plasma? Just a regular lady."

"Who happens to be exceptionally well trained."

Kim scoffed openly at the claim. "Well, so am I."

"Princess, the day you beat me in a fist fight is the day I'll…"

"Give me a favor."

"Naw, the time for that shit's done." Shego waved her hand. "If you want something from me, just ask."

"Will you give it to me?"

"What?"

"What I ask for."

"I don't know. What are you asking for?"

Kim shrugged. "I don't know."

"Then it's a little pointless to ask me for it, isn't it?"

"You know what I mean."

Shego shrugged. "Maybe if you can beat me, we'll work something out."

"Fine by me." Kim didn't mention that what Shego wanted was in essence the same thing as granting Kim a favor if she won. Instead she finished her stretches and stood up. "You ready?"

"I've been waiting."

Kim started the fight with a vigorous punch that clipped Shego's cheek. If Kim learned anything from their previous encounter, it was that she would have to be quick to catch the lithe woman – so she sacrificed some of the power behind her hit in favor of agility. The grin that came over Shego's face made her squirm.

"Why Princess! I didn't know we were having a pillow fight."

"Keep laughing, Shego."

Shego continued chuckling as she whipped her right leg up towards Kim's face. Kim brought her arm up just in time to deflect the blow. Before Kim could properly recover, Shego swiped her hand down and forced Kim back several steps.

"And now we're dancing." Shego amended. "I'd be better off sunbathing."

Her baiting worked. Kim's strategy fled her mind and she charged angrily in. The next time Shego kicked at her, Kim ducked beneath the flying leg and slammed her fist into Shego's gut. Even with the air knocked out of her, Shego maintained her fighting stance as if nothing had happened. In a mad attempt to get an advantage, Kim twirled a roundhouse kick, but Shego snagged her ankle mid-air and threw the smaller redhead several feet. Kim crashed into the lawn chairs.

"Low blow, Shego."

"Who said we were fighting fair? Do we ever do that?" Shego advanced on her, her hands flexing though not ignited.

Kim lunged up off the ground, narrowly evading Shego's foot as it stomped towards her midsection. Doubling her efforts, Kim pushed in as close as she could get while dodging Shego's wild fists and slung Shego over her hip. The green woman toppled to the floor.

"So what shall my prize be?" Kim mused as she dropped on top of Shego, her arms locking around Shego's neck in a makeshift chokehold. "And remember – you can tap out whenever you want."

"Sorry, Princess." Shego heaved out. "There's no prize for second place."

And with that, Shego bucked up and displaced Kim. Though far from tired from their match, Shego was ready to pronounce herself winner. With that in mind, Shego cuffed Kim neatly in the temple and watched Kim crumple.

"Okay, Princess. Will you admit I won?" Shego nudged Kim's body with her foot, but Kim didn't stir. "Haha, very funny."

When Kim still refused to budge, Shego picked her up, carried her inside, and laid her gently on the cot. She slapped Kim's face until Kim's cheeks were rosy and her eyelids fluttered.

"I think you owe me an apology." Kim muttered. Her ears were still ringing. It just went to show, she thought bitterly, that she still needed more practice to return to her previous state of fitness.

"I told you, you only get one a lifetime. I'm all sorried out."

"Then what will you give me?" Kim let her eyes rove down Shego's body.

"Nothing."

"So not fair."

"So not my problem. I won, and you've just gotta suck it up." Shego tossed her head back.

"Just tell me something else about yourself and we'll call it even."

For a long moment, Kim wondered if she'd overstepped her boundaries. But Shego grunted and settled against the nearest wall.

"My brothers and I were once a team of superheroes. Maybe you've heard of Team Go?"

"My little brothers had all the comics." Kim grinned. "But there was never a girl hero?"

"Yeah, they cut me out of all the merchandising when I split."

"Was it fun?"

"It was probably the happiest time in my life, for a while. All through my childhood, I just wanted to be one of the guys – and I could finally do that. I fought alongside my brothers and got as dirty and bruised as I wanted."

"So why did you stop?"

"My parents."

"Again?" Kim let out an exasperated sigh. "You have some serious parental baggage."

"Can I continue?" Shego waited until Kim waved her on. "They said we were doing the right thing, that they approved. That made me so angry. Why was it okay now? For me to reject being girly? But money changes people, Princess. I guess to my father it didn't matter what people thought of his little girl as long as she was providing him a comfortable lifestyle. I realized on my eighteenth birthday that I could either keep living the life my parents wanted for me, or I could throw it all away and try something new, something for myself."

"Drakken?"

"Not at first. At first I struck out on my own. It was a lot of petty crimes. Shoplifting, going for joy rides, that sort of thing. It felt good because I'd finally found something they could never approve of. And there was nothing they could do to stop me, or change me."

"I wish I'd known you before all this happened."

"You think you could have saved me?"

"No." Kim shook her head. "But it sounds like you could have used a friend."

"Don't forget that when I was fifteen, you were probably around five. I probably wouldn't have bothered looking at you, let alone talking to you."

"What was your name? I'm assuming Shego is made up."

"Shelley." Shego closed her eyes. She could almost hear her mother cooing to her. "My mother called me her little Sea-Shell."

"My dad calls me Kimmie-cub."

"Parents are dumb." Shego cleared her throat. "Can this be done now?"

"Of course – I didn't mean to pry."

"Yeah, you did."

Kim shrugged. "I can't help that you're the only interesting thing in this place."

"I suppose not." Shego tilted her head back regally. "I'm probably the only interesting thing you've ever had the good luck to meet."

"Oh come off it." Kim teased. She was grateful for their banter. Even if things were looking bleak, at least she had a friend to help her through it. "In the future, no headshots, okay?"

"Doy." Shego looked affronted that Kim had even bothered setting that new rule out. "I don't want to have to deal with a corpse again. You're pretty heavy."

"Are you calling me fat?"

"If the shoe fits…"

"So mega uncool!" Kim complained.

They smiled at each other.

* * *

**A/N: **My apologies if the time between this chapter and the next is longer than usual. It's that time of year.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

When Shego returned to the Shanty, Kim was seated before the television once again. She flipped through the channels rapidly, taking but a moment to ascertain the identity of that channel's owner before speeding along. Raising an eyebrow, Shego set up the card table she had been lugging under one arm and arranged the other procured items on top.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking." Kim had her manual beside her open to the page for notes and a pen in her hand. Where the pen came from, Shego had no idea. The notes page housed neatly scrawled names.

"For what?"

"People."

Shego stepped in front of the television set. "What sort of people, Pumpkin?"

Finally distracted Kim set the remote down and held Shego's gaze. "I'm looking for the channels of my family members."

"You do realize just how many channels there are?"

"What else do I have to do while I wait?"

Shego turned the television off and silenced Kim's forthcoming complaint with a stern glare. "They'll still be there later. For now, come check it out."

At first Kim remained stationary, but after Shego took a threatening step in her direction, Kim jumped to her feet. Shego quickly bounded behind Kim and draped her fingers across Kim's eyes. Kim's hand immediately flew to her face and Shego clucked her tongue at the attempted interference.

"What's going on?"

"Just relax, Princess. I'm not going to hurt you."

Kim thought back to their fights and chuckled. Shego was more than capable of hurting her, even when she fought back – so she relaxed into Shego's grip. Whatever was going to happen, was going to happen, she thought. It was such a drastic change from her old mindset that she nearly set herself off into a panic attack. Kim Possible was not supposed to let things be, yet there she was acquiescing to the demands of a super powered ex-villain.

"I trust you." Surprise rippled through Kim's body as she realized that her statement was more than just fluffy words meant to show her acceptance – they were true.

"Keep your eyes closed."

Shego guided her redheaded charge to the table she had set up. Atop the table was a candle, yet unlit, and a pile of uncooked spaghetti. Commanding Kim to wait just a moment, Shego dragged the two easy chairs to the table and settled Kim into one before taking the other. Flaring her hand, Shego lit the misshapen candle and was quite pleased with her efforts.

"You can look now."

Kim pried one eye open slowly, and its partner soon followed. A silly grin spread across her lips. "What's this about?"

Shego shrugged. "I know it's not perfect, but those damn light balls would give you the wrong thing even if you showed up with the dictionary definition of what you were after."

Kim picked up a stick of spaghetti and waggled it between her fingers. "Is this supposed to be some sort of romantic dinner?"

"Yes."

The shameless response from Shego made Kim blush. The smaller woman set the spaghetti back down again and fiddled with her hair.

"I don't understand."

"Look." Shego reached across the flimsy table and took one of Kim's hands between her palms. "We could make this work for us. This could be a life for us."

It took less than a few seconds for Kim to process and understand what Shego really meant. She meant for Kim to remain with her in Shanty Town, indefinitely. She meant for Kim to never get her body back, and she meant for Kim to want to stay. While Kim could definitely understand the impetus of not wanting to be alone, this went too far.

"Stop being underhanded."

"I'm not." In an instant, Shego's hackles had risen.

"You know how I feel about you, and you're trying to subvert that to your own purposes."

"Contrary to what you may think, Princess," Shego dropped the nickname with such acidity that Kim almost rethought her approach, "I have no idea what your real feelings are for me – and beyond that I'd have to be some sort of super villain to trap you in this hell."

Is that what she thinks of me? Kim pondered, After all, I did trap her here… She snapped a few strands of spaghetti between her fingers.

"Then what is this about?"

"You're making yourself crazy with the waiting. I just wanted to get your mind off of everything. I didn't know you'd be such a bitch about it." Kim watched, horrified, as Shego dipped her fingers down to extinguish the candle. "Whatever. Go back to your television."

"No."

Shego's fingers paused around the flame and Kim found she couldn't drag her eyes away from the image – why wasn't Shego getting burned? Although the curious side of her wanted to test if she too could handle the flame, she tucked her hands under her thighs and pouted.

"What's wrong now?"

"I'm sorry." Kim replied meekly. "I didn't mean to jump down your throat."

"Feh." Shego's hand dropped away and the candle flickered on.

"I mean it."

"Do you really think you can find your family?"

"I think so. There're billions of channels, yes, but I have billions of minutes." Kim reasoned. "And nothing better to do."

"We could, I don't know… Talk?"

Kim considered the possibility. When Shego had been honest with her before, it had actually been one of the better conversations she'd had in a while, but she wasn't sure that was what Shego had in mind now.

"About what?"

"Whatever you want – within reason, of course."

"About Bonnie?" Kim watched the flicker of anger that flashed across Shego's face and was curious who it was directed at.

"I'd rather not." Shego finally responded, her words firm and even. "But if that's what you really want…?"

"No. But I guess it's meaningful that you'd agree to it anyways."

"So you'll stop with the channel flicking?"

"For now." Kim flicked a broken piece of spaghetti at Shego and watched with growing delight as it tapped the tip of Shego's nose. The green woman harrumphed loudly, but Kim understood it was just a show.

x-x-x

"It feels so weird to be home." Kim traced her fingers along the walls of her apartment. Her other hand cradled her phone to her ear.

"But good, right?"

"I'm not sure, Daddy." She sighed. "It's hard to think."

"That should clear up if you give it time."

"That's what the doctors said… It just feels like my head is full of fluff and none of its mine."

"Maybe we should ask for different medication?"

"I'm sure it'll clear up."

"Kimmie-cub… I know this has been a trying couple of days, but your mother and I – we're here for you if you need us."

Kim smiled and closed her eyes. "That means a lot to me, Daddy."

"Just take your time. You'll feel more like yourself in no time."

She paused by her desk and leafed through the papers there, all copies of portions of her application to medical school. A frown pushed its way onto her face. This didn't feel right – yes, she loved helping people and there was a certain fascination with medicine, but perhaps it wasn't really what she wanted.

"You still there?"

"Sorry, Daddy – I spaced out."

"Need me to let you go?"

"No, that's not necessary." She pushed the papers off the desk and leaned against the cleared surface. Her eyes fell on her bookshelf and she walked to it, perusing the titles. One of the thicker books was a beginner's handbook for robotics. Now that, she thought as she flipped through it, she could really see herself getting behind.

"We just worry about you."

She realized too late that he had been talking and she hadn't been listening properly. "I know you do. But I'm going to be taking care of myself. I'm actually on my way to bed right now to rest up."

"That's my girl."

"Would you mind doing me a favor?" She settled the book back on her shelf and meandered towards her bedroom. When he assented, she smiled and continued. "Would you have the tweebs call me tomorrow? I promised them I'd call today, but I just kind of want to go to bed."

"I'll let them know."

"Has anything ever happened to you before, Daddy? Where you feel like at the end, you have a chance to do things right? Like, when you're a kid and have a bad turn while playing Monopoly?"

He scratched his head. "I can't say that I have."

"That's what I feel like I have now. I want to figure out what I'm doing, and what I want to be doing – and what I can be doing." Kim flopped down onto her mattress and let her eyes close. "Maybe that coma was just what I needed. I got to wake up."

x-x-x

"You know what I do miss?" Shego stretched out onto the lawn chair and stared up at the sky.

"Probably a lot of stuff."

"Nighttime."

Kim chuckled and took her place on the other chair. "You would miss darkness."

"Not the darkness, squirt. I miss it being summer at dusk, when the stars just start coming out and the fireflies are just lighting up."

"And the mosquitoes are still out." Kim groused. She loved being outside, but mosquitoes loved her blood no matter the amount of bug repellant she lathered on.

"Don't be a killjoy." Shego chided.

"Sorry."

"I miss the drop in temperature." Shego's hands wrapped around her upper arms as she tried to remember how it felt to be truly cold.

"Do they ever turn the light bulb off?"

"I haven't seen it happen in ten years, so I'm going to say no."

"So the darkest it gets is when you cover the window up and hide in a shack." Kim laughed, though the thought wasn't actually funny. "You know what? I'm going to go ask them."

Shego sat up and cocked an eyebrow. "Ask who what?"

"The help desk. I want to ask them to turn the light off."

"They won't do it."

"Have you ever asked?"

"No."

Shego watched as Kim bounced to her feet and bounded down the way. Good, she thought, at least the pipsqueak isn't still moping. She turned her gaze back to the sky for a moment before realizing that sunbathing wasn't as fun without company.

x-x-x

Kim clambered atop Shego when she returned and ducked her nose into the crook of Shego's neck. For a moment, Shego thought to grumble, but decided it wasn't worth the effort – or the complaining that would no likely result.

"So are they going to turn the light off?"

"I put in a request." Kim's voice vibrated across the skin of her throat. Had Shego been ticklish, and less gruff, she might have giggled.

"I'm surprised they let you get that far."

"They told me who took my body."

A silence bubbled up and remained for several minutes. Shego hesitated a moment before reaching up and hugging Kim closer to her. "Who?"

"The soul used to belong to Vivian Porter." Kim reported quietly.

"Yeah?"

"They wouldn't tell me any more than that. And I only just got her name after pretty much begging them for an update."

"So they didn't have anything to tell you about when you'll get your body back?"

Kim inhaled slowly, allowing Shego's scent to pervade her senses. It was much nicer thinking about how the other woman smelled than her current situation. Eventually, Shego pinched her side and she squeaked.

"Not yet."

Shego drew her arms up behind her head and propped her noggin up so that she could look down at Kim's face. Kim seemed completely at ease snuggled against her, which sent a fresh wave of guilt through Shego. I can do better, Shego thought. Kim was an opportunity to do better.

"How are you doing?"

The sincere concern in Shego's tone drew Kim's gaze to Shego's face. "I'm dealing with it, I guess."

"Is there anything I can do?" Though the words felt like they were giving her tongue paper cuts as they slipped out of her mouth, Shego was unsettled to note that she actually meant them.

"Just let me be here right now." Kim ran her fingers along Shego's side and pressed her face to Shego's neck. "That's all I want."

"Do you think Bonnie's in a better place?"

"You know as much as I do."

"I didn't ask what you knew." Shego snapped. "I asked what you thought."

"I think that she's found peace now, if nothing else."

"But what if this is some sort of Socratic bullshit."

"What do you mean?"

"The idea that there's always a world beyond what we currently know." Shego clutched the cot. "We were in reality and then we reached the level beyond. But there's places even further than here."

"Like the cave thing, right?"

"The cave thing." Shego chuckled. "Horribly put, but yeah, that."

"I mean it's possible."

"So Bonnie left here for another hellhole."

"I don't think so." Kim insisted. She let a slow smile onto her lips. "Besides, I don't think it gets worse than here."

Shego snorted. "I guess you have a point."

"If you want to talk about her, I'll listen."

"It was just a passing thought." Shego denied. She arched her neck in a rush of affection and kissed Kim's forehead. "But I guess it was alright of you to offer."

"Yes it was." Kim sniffed. She slithered up Shego's body and hovered near Shego's mouth. "Is it still a bad idea to kiss you?"

"Probably." But Shego closed the distance between them anyway. Thoughts of Bonnie made her pull away, however, after a few sweet moments.

x-x-x

"Are you sure about this?" Ron stared at the screen of Kim's laptop. "What about medical school?"

"I'm just exploring my options." She assured him. "Casting a wide net, you know?"

"Yeah, makes sense." But really it didn't. For the past half a year, medical school was the only thing Kim had really wanted to talk about – who her references were going to be, if she had done enough work in the field, what school she wanted to end up at – and yet she was showing him her applications to other graduate programs.

"I get it, Ronny." She ruffled his hair. "I know this is, like, a mega big change for me. But I just want to make sure I'm doing what I really want to do. I only get one shot, you know?"

"You could always do the medical school thing and then the robotics?"

"That would waste so much time." She chided. "Besides, I'm not making a rash decision, am I? I'm just applying and seeing if I can get in."

"You would like the challenge of that, wouldn't you?" He shook his head. "I'll never understand you smart people."

"You're just smart in other ways, Ronny."

"Have you talked to Monique yet?"

"No." Kim catalogued the instantaneous droop in his expression. "I just – I don't want to meddle. This is between you and her."

"Kim Possible doesn't want to meddle?" He threw his hands dramatically into the air. "Now I know something's wrong. Did they do some kinda experimental brain surgery-transplantation at the hospital?"

"Don't be dumb." She flicked his forehead. "I've got enough on my plate right now. Think you can pick up your own messes for a while?"

"It's not a mess."

"Your defensive tone definitely says otherwise."

"Totally does not." He groaned. "Okay, totally does, but that's not the point. Please, Kim – do the Ron-man a favor and help."

"I'm not getting involved. You two are both good friends and I don't want to be seen as on someone's side." She argued.

"There's no side to take! I just need you to do some girly digging. Like, whatever it is you two would do at sleepovers when we were kids."

"Man up and ask her yourself." Kim maintained. "I've got to go. These applications aren't going to fill themselves out."

He slumped down over his arms and picked listlessly at his nachos. Kim was right, which was normal, but it didn't make it easier to swallow. But talking to Monique was pretty much out of the question. It would seem like he was looking for a relationship, he rationalized, and she was bound to shy away from that. No, he'd let things go on as they were, and hope for the best.

x-x-x

"Just do it." Shego grunted. Kim gazed at her with large, frightened eyes. "Go ahead."

"But…"

"You know you want to. You've wanted to for ages now."

Kim's fingers trembled. "I don't know…"

"Just be quiet." Shego nabbed the remote and turned the television on. "You're curious, so sate yourself."

The voice that was Kim and was not Kim issued forth. "Ron should really grow up about these things. How does he expect to have an adult relationship with Monique – with anyone really – if he can't just open his mouth and say something? I wish I had said something…"

Kim's finger jammed down on the mute button. "I think we can do without my inner monologue, yeah?"

Shego smirked. "I get enough of your worries without having to listen to more. I'm not complaining."

"It's so weird to see myself doing stuff that I would do. But without me doing it."

"Eloquent as always." Shego teased.

"Do you think she's being me better than I could?"

"That's ridiculous." Kim clutched the back of her head after Shego swatted it. "Stop being ridiculous."

"I'm just saying it's a possibility. I'm not necessarily the most qualified… driver? Operator of my server?" Kim clutched her head. "I feel like there's so much wrong with what I just said."

The pace of Shego's heart increased incrementally. "What are you saying?"

"Hm?" Kim turned her head slightly, though shadows hid most of her expression.

"Are you thinking – maybe of…" Staying here with me, Shego couldn't bring herself to finish.

"I don't know." Kim cut in quickly, effectively saving Shego from saying anything emotionally charged. "That's the problem, you know? I've just always known things. I never made charts or pro-con lists. I used to be so good at split second decisions. But here – I feel so… Petrified."

"The choices mean more now." Shego offered weakly. "You decided to offer me your body?"

"That was what was right. You earned it, you deserved it. But this… I don't know. Nothing feels right now."

"What feels wrong?"

"Nothing. This place is outside the realm of right and wrong, I think. Morality doesn't really play a part here, does it? It's not quite a stasis, but…"

Shego swallowed past a lump in her throat and drew back. Her fingers had previously been tangling themselves in Kim's hair, but they fell to her sides. For what she had to say next, she needed distance. "Princess. You don't need to factor me into your decisions."

The use of the nickname dropped Kim's eyes to the floor. A sudden emotional schism seemed to have ruptured between them. "There's a lot to consider before I make any sort of decision."

"But count me out, okay?" Perhaps, Shego thought, Bonnie would have appreciated such a statement, back when it might have counted for something.

"I can't."

Kim pawed at her face, trying to clear her head by cleansing her face. Shego watched passively, unsure of what to say or do next. She'd done her best already and this was new ground for her.

x-x-x

Kim ended the call with her brothers, though she honestly couldn't say what the conversation consisted of as both brothers talked over each other, and returned to the small table where her friends sat waiting.

"Gotta say, girl, I'm a little nervous about how things are going to go tonight."

"Oh hush, Moni." Kim chided. "One coma does not a pattern make."

Ron leaned back in his chair. "But seriously, you're going to crash at my pad, right?"

"If it'll make you feel better."

"Good."

Monique balanced on her elbows and stared across the restaurant. "Kim, you see that guy who just came in?"

Kim scoured the group of fraternity boys waiting by the hostess. Her finger dipped momentarily into her water glass and when she spotted the tall, dark, handsome one hiding in the back, the finger splattered water at her friend.

"Did spotting him mean you're calling dibs?"

Ron nearly fell out of his chair. "You're dibsing a guy?"

Kim stood up. "I'm going to use the bathroom, I think."

"Me, too." Monique made to follow, but Kim pushed her shoulders until she sat again. "Or not."

"I'll be back in a few."

"What was that about?"

Ron rubbed his neck. "She thinks we need to talk."

"About what?"

"Yeah, that was my question, too." Ron's voice squeaked, but evened. "Nope, we're just fine."

"You don't want me looking at that hunk over there, do you?"

"You can do whatever you want." Ron shrugged. "We're not, like, official or exclusive… are we?"

She folded her arms over her chest, "What do you think, Naco-boy?"

"We've never talked about it."

A sly smile loosened Monique's tense expression. "And suddenly it's clear what Kim wanted. She's meddling by not meddling. That's an odd approach for her."

"She has been a little off, hasn't she?" Ron lunged onto a safer topic, as if it was a floating door and he was in the middle of the Atlantic with a sinking cruise ship behind him. "But it's just different, right? Not… bad?"

"It was probably a wake-up call. Like, what am I doing with my life? Plenty of people say things like that."

"Just didn't think it would happen to Kim." Ron fiddled with his fork. "She's done so much with her life already, and she was already on her way to doing more."

"I guess we can always want more." Monique stared at him, silently asking him to pick up their earlier conversation.

"I just can't imagine what more she could want." He tossed the fork aside. "That's problem whenever it gets around to her birthday. What do you give the lady who has everything, and earned it herself?"

"Are you going to pussyfoot around this?"

"No."

"Then say something."

"Listen – we've got a good thing, don't we? Do we have to change things and talk about it?"

"Not if you don't want to. But if you're going to have a problem with me scoping out dudes, you better lay your claim now?"

Ron hesitated and, upon noticing Kim slinking slowly back towards the table, shook his head. "I don't want you scoping out other dudes."

"Was that so hard?"

"No. Are… are you going to make everything this difficult?"

Her grin widened. "Only if you don't learn you lessons the first time through."

At Ron's smile, Kim allowed herself to return to the table. She pretended that nothing had occurred in her absence and merely picked up the menu and scanned it. Under the table, Ron reached over and took Monique's hand. When their fingers were laced properly together, he squeezed softly.

x-x-x

"She even gets along better with my friends." Kim bemoaned.

She was about to change the channel when the television shut off. Simultaneously the world went dark. Although it embarrassed her to admit later, she let out a muffled scream – muffled only because she managed to slap a palm over her mouth. Shego sat in silence.

"What do you think is happening?"

Kim scuffled through the dark, nearly tripping on an easy chair on her quest to Shego's side. "I have no idea. The apocalypse?"

"Does that mean we get to rise again?"

"You wish."

Shego wrapped her arms around Kim's shoulders and pulled the redhead to her side. If things were indeed ending, she at least wanted Kim where Kim belonged. Kim offered no protests.

"Attention." A disembodied voice echoed overhead. Or perhaps behind, Kim wasn't too sure on the logistics regarding the presence of omnipresent audio. "Please do not panic."

"They could have told us that before."

"Sh." Shego clamped Kim's mouth shut with her fingers.

"We apologize for the inconvenience this may have temporarily caused you. Power to the televisions will be restored within the hour."

"Like anyone but us is actually watching them."

"You'd be surprised." Shego snorted. "People may not walk around much, but television is brainless – which entices everyone. I think, if zombies did ever happen, they'd probably give up on killing and eating people and just watch the telly."

"Due to a patron request, the light bulb has been terminated for a temporary allotment of time." The voice continued. "In an attempt to simulate the world you will shortly return to, we have decided to make this a daily occurrence."

Kim's jaw dropped open, but she closed it promptly. "They actually listened to me?"

"I guess this means we'll have a way of timing the days now."

"Thank you for your understanding."

"Do you ever get the feeling that they say that sort of stuff, but don't actually mean it?"

Shego was silent and, indeed, hadn't heard the question. Kim had enacted such an enormous change on their environment. She'd never even bothered to think about changing anything. When Bonnie had arrived, it had rocked her conceptions for the first time – Bonnie, who'd demanded some sort of assistance from the help desk, which had until that point merely been decorative in nature. But Bonnie's changes were topical. Kim dug beneath the surface and did something that mattered, that affected everyone.

"Are you listening to me?"

And maybe that's what made them different, Shego realized. Why she felt like she could open up on some level to Kim, when she had tried to remain somewhat reserved with Bonnie. Kim would never settle for a topical relationship. She'd always pry her way into matters that the rest of the world thought were impenetrable.

"Shego?"

It was really a matter of scale. Bonnie was domestic, Kim global. Shego rested her head between her hands – could Bonnie ever have been enough for her? Had she been wasting the brunette's time on a pipe dream? Kim's hand on her wrist dunked her back into the present.

"Are you okay?"

Shego found Kim's face with her hands and cupped the smaller woman's cheeks. "I was okay losing Bonnie. It was hard, but not because she was gone – but because I hadn't been able to keep her longer."

"What are you talking about?"

"But you – I don't think I…" She leaned in, her lips ghosting over Kim's. "You're contrary and rambunctious. You're the liveliest woman to come through here in ten years. I don't know if I can keep living if you leave me. Your loss would be too much."

"You're not losing me?"

Shego kissed the corner of Kim's mouth, then the other corner, and finished with a small peck to the tip of Kim's nose. "I'm not used to this. I speak my mind whenever the fuck I feel like it. But – my heart… I can't express – words just aren't right for that. But somehow…"

"It's okay, Shego." Kim insisted, a little worried by the tumble of verbal vomit spewing forth from Shego's lips. "I get it."

"I don't think you do. I'm trying to tell you. I couldn't ever tell Bonnie why I wanted her to stay – and maybe that's because I wanted what's best for her, and I never thought being around me was really what was best – but really, it's probably because I'm an asshole. But I don't want to be an asshole to you. At least not all the time."

Any further attempts at conversation from Kim were effectively cut off as Shego kissed her. Shego backed her up slowly, fumbling in the dark to ease the petite woman down onto the cot. Kim wriggled to get comfortable, but neither was willing to part their lips. Wanting more, Kim sucked Shego's lower lip into her mouth and nibbled on it. Little punk, Shego thought, always demanding more from her and delving deeper. Not that she was complaining.

* * *

**A/N: **I know this is a little shorter than usual, but I figured this was better than nothing after I left y'all hanging. If someone is willing to go to Contracts for me, I'll gladly write more. I'll take a volunteer for Civil Procedure as well. Don't go to law school and expect to have copious amounts of free time to write. I haven't had time to edit this extensively yet, so it will probably be updated over the course of a few days.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Kim lost herself momentarily in the firmness of Shego's kiss. Her hands fisted unconsciously into Shego's shirt and held her as close as possible – not that Shego was trying to pull back or disengage in any fashion. Despite her earlier aggression, Shego was surprisingly gentle with her.

When Kim found her hand squarely on Shego's chest, she drew back panting. "Wait."

"Wait?" Shego couldn't help the incredulous tone that entered her voice. "You were the one who touched me."

"I know, and I shouldn't have. I'm sorry."

"What?"

"Look… I just – we're…" Kim's other hand was tangled in Shego's hair, but she found she couldn't relinquish her hold. "I can't do this if you don't… you know… like me."

Shego pulled away, barely wincing as Kim's hand tugged her hair. "What's this really about?"

"You can't say it, can you?"

"It doesn't mean it's not true." Shego argued.

"Say it."

"Why are we even arguing? You know you want this."

"That's not the point! I've been pretty clear, I think, about what I want." Kim locked eyes with Shego. "I like you. I want you. What do you want?"

Shego leaned in to kiss her again, but Kim jerked away. Irritated, Shego rolled off the cot and glowered in the corner.

"Why'd you have to turn this into a fight?" Shego muttered. She lit her hand up to properly see her path to the door. "See if I do that again."

"Shego. Stop. Please."

"You've made it clear that this isn't going to happen."

Kim watched the dim outline of Shego disappear and flopped back against the cot.

x-x-x

Minutes to hours, hours to days, days to weeks – Kim spent most of her time running. It was easier to keep track of time now as the light flicked on and off in equal shifts. As soon as it turned on, she took to her routine. Her feet pounded the ground with more force than necessary as she tried, just as she did every time, to tire her body out. But try as she may, it was no easier to exhaust her body than her mind. One thing Shanty Town was not missing was an abundance of time to think.

She barely noticed the people she'd come to refer to as zombies. They milled about at times, but she had long since learned the difference between movement and liveliness. All attempts at communication had ceased. She bounded over the legs of one sprawled on the ground without a second glance and continued on her route.

In her attempts to keep herself from thinking about her situation, Kim spent her days remembering the plots to books she had read – challenging herself to retell the stories to herself with as much detail as she could manage. When she grew bored of books, she switched to movies, and then to television shows.

This was a routine reluctantly developed. She ran as long as she could bear it, until her mind had nothing left of interest to think about. Some days she ran what felt like should have been marathons, others she managed only an hour or so. At the end of each run, she returned to Bonnie's to see if Shego was around.

If the green woman was there, they would curl up together on the cot and speak in low tones. As close as they were growing, their relationship as it were was a constant battle. It was another topic that Kim actively tried to avoid while running. After their argument, Shego had disappeared until the light turned back on. Her reappearance brought with it a stolid refusal to talk about what happened.

She slackened her pace as she pulled up to the fence separating Bonnie's home from the rest of the world and ran her fingers over the white surface. Though she hoped Shego was waiting for her, she was fairly sure the other woman was gone. Shego was missing more often than not as of late, for reasons she refused to expound upon to Kim.

"Shego?"

Kim poked her head into the shack and shook it. Her gut was right – she was alone. It was just as well – she could use this opportunity to check in on her body, the Faux-Kim as Shego had begun calling the other one. Shego could only take short doses of Faux-Kim. She claimed it to be a waste of time. The images flickered across the screen and Kim watched it all with a bland expression.

"You still watching that trash?"

Kim looked up and blinked rapidly. After regaining her bearings, she realized that an inordinate amount of time had passed since she'd sat down. She got to her feet and shook the sleepiness out of each limb.

"I just want to know what's going on."

"I have a surprise for you."

"What sort of surprise?"

Shego grabbed her arm. "Come on, then, and I'll show you."

She practically dragged Kim out of the shack and into the shack next door. The shack was much like the first one Kim had been in, except this one had two television sets in addition to the bare cot. Shego guided her to the cot and eased her down onto it.

"Now, I'm pretty sure I've got the right one, but if I'm wrong… well, I don't mean to get your hopes up." Shego rambled. She picked a remote up off the ground and turned on one of the sets. She input a string of numbers and waited for the channel to change.

Kim narrowed her eyes while she waited, unsure as to what was occurring, what great mystery Shego thought she was unveiling. Once the television was on, however, her jaw dropped. "This is what you've been up to?"

"Yes. Is it right? Did I find one?"

The television showed her brother sitting at a table, slurping down a bowl of cereal with his twin across from him. Kim touched the screen gingerly and fought the wave of tears that threatened to pour down her cheeks.

"This is… You – how did you?"

"I started at the beginning." Shego gestured to the other television. "I kept the other one paused at a scene from your life where I could see your whole family. And I flipped until someone looked familiar."

"This is… I can't even…"

"You're welcome."

Kim twisted away from the screen and launched herself at the taller woman. Ready for such an attack, Shego wrapped her arms around Kim's middle and held the redhead flush against her. She couldn't exactly state her feelings, perhaps, but she thought she'd found a way to show them.

"This is amazing." Kim whispered into her shoulder.

"I'm going to keep trying to find everyone else." Shego responded quietly. "It only took me two weeks to find one, how long could it take to find the rest?"

"I want to help you."

"You just want to spend time with me."

That was indeed part of it. Kim nuzzled Shego's neck. "I know you don't think yourself able of saying what I want to hear, now… But do you think – maybe – someday? You might?"

Shego released her tight grip. "I'm trying. Isn't that enough?"

For now, Kim thought, "It is."

x-x-x

Jim jammed one of his fries into the mound of ketchup on his brother's plate. Tim, for his part, pretended to ignore the affront and maintained a smile directed at their sister.

"Thanks for coming out to see us."

"Are you sure you're feeling better?"

Kim grinned at each of them in turn, a happy warmth lining her stomach. They were annoying at times, but they were her family and family, she found, meant a lot to her. "I'm fine. Otherwise I wouldn't have offered, okay?"

"Mom was worried."

"We're just glad that you're okay."

"You guys don't have to worry anymore." Kim took a bite of her burger, chewed, and swallowed. "I took a few days to rest until I felt completely better. And even now I'm taking things slow. Dad told me I should just listen to my body, and that's what I've been doing."

"Just don't slip into a coma again."

"I just had a thought." Tim chuckled, his morbid sense of humor surfacing. "If there was, like, a zombie apocalypse, right? And the zombies only ate people in comas…"

Jim caught the drift of his joke and grinned. "Would that make them vegetarians?"

Kim picked one of her fries up and tossed it at Tim's head. "You two are so weird."

"Get it? Because when you're in a coma, you're a vegetable?"

"I got it."

The twins exchanged high fives and Kim rolled her eyes at them. They chatted about inconsequential things until most of the meal had disappeared. Kim eventually cleared her throat. The twins were her test group, she thought. She would talk to them and, based on their reactions, she would talk to their parents.

"I was hoping I could talk to you guys."

"What's up?" They spoke in unison, and even their smiling expressions matched.

She groaned at the uniformity of it. "I was thinking that I don't want to go to medical school. I think I want to go into robotics."

Jim's face crunched up in thought, while Tim's elongated. At last, Kim thought, a way to tell them properly apart.

"Dad'll be happy."

"Is that why you changed your mind?"

"No!" Kim felt that she had put a little too much gusto into her response and immediately tread backwards. "It wasn't a factor, no."

"Cool." Tim dunked his fry.

"What he said."

"You two are okay with it?"

They shrugged.

"Why not?"

"It's your life."

"You two are such dweebs." She reached over and tousled each head in turn.

x-x-x

"My earliest memory?" Shego mused. She twisted her lips to and fro in contemplation and Kim found herself unable to look away. "I was three, I think. Probably not much younger anyway. I was in my mom's garden looking for a ball my brother had kicked into the bushes. I reached in and didn't realize it was a rose bush. All sorts of thorns got caught in my arm. When I panicked and jerked back, they just dug in and I was stuck and bleeding."

"That's awful." Kim empathized. "Like one of those fingertraps."

"My dumb brother just stood there while I was crying. Thankfully my mom heard and came screeching outside. I don't know which one of us was hollering more. She pulled the thorns out and put a ton of Band-Aids on it. I went around for a few days pretending to be a mummy."

"You were a handful." Kim observed.

"Yeah, you could say that."

"Did you get the ball back?"

"Hm?"

"Your story isn't finished. You never told me what happened to the ball."

"I don't actually remember."

Kim chuckled and closed her eyes. Her fingers nested into Shego's shirt. "I'd like to think you got it back."

"Probably." Shego rolled her eyes. "And Henry probably kicked it right back under."

"Hego, right?"

"Mm."

"What was with the nicknames?"

"They seemed like a good idea at the time. It just didn't feel cool enough to call each other by our real names. If we were going to be super heroes, we were going to do it right."

"What about Mego and Wego?"

"Mitchell and Wendell."

"I thought there were two Wego?"

"Wendell was the youngest, and as such nobody would ever play with him. Mitch wanted to be one of the big kids, y'know? I think he permanently left himself a twin so he'd have someone to hang out with."

"That's awfully lonely sounding."

"Maybe."

"And I'm sure your parents were thrilled – one more kid to put through college." Shego fell silent and Kim wondered if she had misspoken. "I just mean - another mouth to feed, huh?"

"How about you? Your earliest memory?"

"I feel like I'm missing something. What did you not want to talk about?"

"Anything that isn't you telling me your memory."

Kim scowled, but she had learned that pushing Shego didn't give her the results she wanted. There was seemingly no way to force the green woman to do anything she didn't want. "Fine. I don't know if it's my earliest memory, but it's pretty early? If that's okay with your royal highness?"

Shego sniffed haughtily. "I guess that'll do."

"You know we could just watch my earliest memories, right?"

"Nope."

"Okay. I was in daycare when I was a really little kid, and this other kid was showing off on the playground. I actually feel pretty badly about what happened… You'd never know it now, but I didn't used to put up with blowhards."

"Oh really?"

"You shouldn't brag unless you can back yourself up. And this little twerp was running around saying he was the fastest kid on the playground."

"And you didn't agree?"

"I knew I could out run him. So we raced each other and I was winning. He must have been so intent on catching me that he didn't realize his shoes came untied. He tripped over them and just face planted into the ground. It was like the ground and his nose were magnets." Kim rubbed her nose gingerly. "He was wearing a retainer, thankfully. My mom told me later that if he hadn't had one in, he might have lost all his teeth."

"So your earliest memory is some dumb kid bleeding everywhere?"

"Isn't that what your memory is too?"

Shego shoved her shoulder but there was no malice. "I could make you a new memory right now of a dumb kid bleeding."

"Can we bleed here?"

"Wanna test it out?" Shego drew her hand back.

Kim didn't flinch. "Not on my skin, thank you."

Shego shrugged and sliced her own arm. Tiny droplets welled up but quickly congealed. "Not for long, apparently."

"You know… there's still so much about this place that we don't know. It's kind of interesting, in a way. Like the scientist in me sometimes is nearly crying. I feel like we're astronauts."

"This is definitely not the moon, and we don't exactly have a rocket to take us home."

Kim sobered quickly. "Well, that's true."

"But I get what you're saying. I was…" Shego trailed off and cleared her throat. "I was kind of hoping you'd feel that way."

Treading carefully, Kim responded, "Oh?"

"That maybe you'd think being here was okay."

Kim clung to Shego, unsure of which of her plethora of thoughts to voice. She wanted to stay with Shego, and staying here wouldn't be too terrible as long as she wasn't alone – but if she had the opportunity to go back to her body, she wasn't sure she could pass it by. Instead of speaking, she buried her face in Shego's chest.

x-x-x

"Have you taken the prerequisites?"

Kim's brow furrowed. "I thought you'd be excited, Dad."

James opened his mouth, sighed, and then shut it again before actually speaking. "I am excited, Kim, but I just want to make sure you know what you're doing."

"I've taken some of them. But I have one semester left to do the rest of them. There're only three classes that I'm missing."

"What about medical school?"

"I haven't said no to that yet. I'll deal with it if I even get in."

James nodded slowly. "I just… You know I'm proud of you no matter what, right? If you want to go to medical school, I will be just as proud of you."

"I know. Dad, don't worry. This isn't because of you."

"Are you happy?"

Kim faltered at the question. "Of course?"

"Good." He crossed the short distance between them and hugged her tightly. "That's all that matters. If you want to go into robotics, and that'll make you happy, then I say go for it."

"What do you think Mom'll say?"

"She'll feel the same way." He assured her. "She will always be proud of you."

x-x-x

Kim ran. She could hear Shego keeping pace with her a yard or so back, but she wasn't interested in talking. They ran together, wordlessly, for several miles, but Shego couldn't hold her words back for long.

"Can we just talk?"

"You actually want to talk?" Kim hadn't meant the words to sound so vehement. She came to an abrupt halt and held her hand over her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"No, you have a point."

"But I didn't mean to be mean about it."

Shego grabbed her lower arm and pulled her closer. "That's your version of being mean?"

"I guess."

"It wasn't mean. What's this about?"

"You saw it."

"Faux-Kim was talking to your dad. So what?"

"So she does it better."

"Stop being so silly."

"I'm being serious, Shego. You saw how he looked at me. At her. She's being me better than I ever could."

"That's not true and you know it. You're great at being you."

"Is that as close to a compliment as you're willing to get?"

Shego tucked her into an embrace and held her there, despite Kim's struggles. "What can I do to make you stop?"

"Make me stop what?" Kim knotted her fingers in Shego's shirt and pushed, but the taller woman held fast.

"Being hysterical."

"Tell me how you feel."

Hedging, Shego tightened her grip. "About what?"

"About anything. About me, if that's too vague."

"I…"

"Say I feel blank when you blank because blank."

Just for Kim, Shego thought. "I feel frustrated when you run away because you're clearly in some sort of pain."

While not quite the heartfelt admission she was after, Kim relaxed into the hug. "You think you can make it better?"

"I think I can try…" In a lower tone, she continued, "I am, you know… trying."

"I know." Kim leaned up on her tiptoes to kiss Shego's cheek. "It's just getting harder and harder to rationalize everything. It was easy before. I owed you something and I was going to pay that debt. Vivian didn't earn my body, so it was going to be easy to just take her place, my rightful place… but now it's just so confusing."

"I'm making it more difficult."

"That's only part of it. She fits so well into my life. My family loves her, my friends love her, and I love – being here, for the most part." Kim hurried onward, trying to cram her thoughts and emotions in the shortest diatribe she could manage. "You make it more than bearable. You make it so it feels like I could stay here. It hurts, yeah, that staying here would mean never talking to my mom again, but maybe…"

"Stop that. You're going home." Shego insisted, though she had personally been wondering what the hold-up was. Kim's paperwork had been filed weeks ago – and how long could it possibly take trans-dimensional light balls to figure the situation out?

"Am I? The longer I'm here, the less I believe it." Kim sighed. "I'm just trying to prepare for the worst case scenario."

"You don't have to explain it to me. I get it. I've been there."

"You have?"

Without warning, Shego scooped Kim up bridal-style and carried her squirming body back to Bonnie's shack.

x-x-x

Shego's arrival to the waiting room was jarring. She crawled through the portal, shivering and wet, only to discover that she was warm, dry, and crouched on a linoleum floor. The light ball was talking to her, but all she could do was wonder how hard she'd hit her head on that beam.

"Do you understand?"

She scrambled away from the ball, feeling a little like a feral animal. "What?"

"Our apologies if we have not communicated clearly."

"Where am I?"

The ball pulsed. "I will review the terms once more. This is the waiting room. Please wait here while our technicians rectify the problem with your server."

"My server." Shego repeated. "I'm supposed to just wait here?"

"Yes. Please familiarize yourself with the manual."

Shego probed her skull, looking for a large lump, or an indentation – anything to explain the hallucinations. When the orb once again asked if she understood, she waved the thing off and stumbled to the pile of manuals. She paged through one and threw it aside. The next three offered no new information, but she couldn't stop herself from reading each one.

When the entire pile was on the floor, Shego walked on unsteady legs to the gaping hole in the wall. The sprawl of shanties knocked the air from her lungs. She wasn't altogether too sure about what was happening, despite what the manual said, but she couldn't believe that there were enough people here to fill all those buildings.

She took a moment to breath. No matter what was going on, she wasn't allowed to panic. She didn't panic. She was a cool, sarcastic, calm lake and nothing was going to cause any ripples. Feeling more like herself, she stalked down into the shanties. The first shanty she checked, by kicking the door in, housed a blank faced brunette who barely blinked at the intrusion.

She went door to door, staring at the empty hulls of people. How long, she wondered, until she was one of them? She wouldn't let it happen easily, she decided. She would fight whatever had imprisoned her here, and she would fight until she was free again.

It was odd, though, that there were television sets all over the ground. A few were on and chattering, but most were blank. She went to one that was on, ignoring the person who was watching it, and manually changed the channel. The viewer grunted, but she elbowed him in the gut and he fell silent. After a dozen or so channels, she deduced that there must be a channel for everyone here, at least.

"How do I know my channel?" She grabbed the man by his shirt and shook him. When he didn't answer, she flared the plasma in her hand and held it to his nose.

"Manual."

She spent most of her time in the beginning stomping around from one place to another, transient and sure of herself. Her channel was boring. Her body was in a world of bright white speckled with red. This confused her.

"I'm here." She spoke mostly to herself, though she stood among a group of other people. "But there's also me there. Damn, this is probably one of Drakken's nutty experiments. I'm going to rearrange his face next time I see him…"

She spent the next few hours plotting the variety of ways she was going to hurt the blue man for his transgression. It was in her contract – he wasn't allowed to try experiments on her without her knowledge and consent. This was definitely a breach. She cracked her knuckles. She wasn't about to sue him over this, but there was going to be an altercation.

"How long have I been here?" She asked a nearby woman several days later. The woman didn't answer, not that Shego expected any different. "I wouldn't have thought anything Drakken did would last very long. I swear – the man would build a house out of chocolate, and then wonder why it melted in the summer.

"He's probably working on fixing this, though. Knowing him it's going to be some sort of convoluted plan that's almost too complex to work."

Shego returned to her television hours later and was frustrated to find her channel was blank. She tried a separate television and got the same result. Fed up with everything, she smashed the two televisions to pieces, and returned to the room with the linoleum floor. When no one was there to answer her questions, or meet her demands, she set to wrecking the room. She smashed the chairs into the walls, set fire to the manuals, and scratched her nails along the linoleum.

"Please halt your activities!" A ball of light erupted into existence near her head. "Please, what can I help you with?"

"Why's my channel gone?"

"Your channel has gone blank because your server is no longer available."

"Just use fucking English!"

"There is nothing for you to return to. You may remain here as long as you see fit, but please allow me to show you to the Exit."

"I don't want to go to the Exit!" Shego knew she sounded like a child throwing a tantrum and she really didn't care. "I want to go back to reality, or wherever the fuck my body is."

"Your body is no longer suitable for habitation."

"What does that even mean!?"

"We apologize for the inconvenience, but your server crashed before the necessary repairs could be made."

Shego trailed after the light ball, stunned into silence. She began piecing things together in her head. Deduction number one: This was no hallucination, no drug trip, no lucid dream. This was real. Number two: It was permanent. Server translated to body, as far as she could tell – and her body crashed. Which could mean a number of things, but if her options were either stay here or go through some elusive exit, it probably meant her body died.

"This is the Exit."

"Where does it exit to?"

"We apologize for the inconvenience, but we are not privy to that information."

"Of course not."

"Is there anything else we might assist you with?"

"Yeah, I have a lot of stuff you can assist me with." Shego curled her hand into a fist and raised it. "C'mere, and I'll show you."

The ball floated out of her reach. "Please follow me."

x-x-x

Kim stood by the window, waiting for the light bulb to be turned off for the 'night.' Shego had already taken her place on the cot and thought she was waiting quite patiently for Kim to come to her side.

"Look, Princess, I didn't tell you about that shit so you would get all thinky on me."

"Then why'd you tell me?"

Shego wanted to tell Kim that she knew how hopeless it felt, how utterly draining it was to know that this waiting room was the end of the road. Instead she shrugged. "You wanted to know."

"But why now?"

"You're probably the pushiest person I've ever met." Shego grumbled.

"Is that including Bonnie?" Kim was teasing, but kept her tone mildly serious. "Some people would say my determination and perseverance are two of my finest features."

The mention of Bonnie no longer created a crushing sensation in Shego's gut, but it would never be pleasant. The name was a reminder that she had a chance to be better, and that she wasn't doing a very good job of it yet.

"I spent the first six years here going crazy." Shego admitted. "The first few weeks alone weren't that bad. I kept myself busy. I argued with the blank faces out there – and no, before you ask, they didn't respond. I exercised. But there's only so long you can be by yourself, y'know? You just go a little stir crazy.

"I wasn't too crazy, I don't think. At least not too crazy to the point that I didn't recognize what Bonnie could do for me. She talked to me. She'd been outside – which, let me tell you, was something I barely believed at the time. I'd pretty much convinced myself that the real world wasn't real. That it had been some weird dream I'd had once, even though I hadn't slept in a long time – but there she was, willing to talk to me and full of stories."

Kim crossed from the window to the cot and crawled into Shego's waiting arms. "What's the worst thing that you thought would happen?"

"At first I thought it was being stuck here. But that's not it." Shego wrapped her arms around Kim's midsection and held tight. "The worst case scenario is being alone."

"Have you planned for it?"

"I've tried to. When you leave me… I – maybe I'll stay here. Maybe I won't. I think it'll take longer this time for me to go a little crazy. Or maybe it'll be quicker, because I'll know what I'm missing." Shego shrugged. "And maybe if I'm a little crazy, I'll actually be able to walk through that door."

"I really like this."

"Being stuck in a wasteland?"

"No, dummy, this." Kim emphasized the last word by snuggling against the other woman. "You actually talking about things you're thinking about and feeling. You holding me."

"I'm trying."

"I know."

x-x-x

With the light out, Kim felt emboldened. Silence had reigned between them for nearly an hour, by her internal clock which meant very little for the actual passage of time. She cautiously maneuvered upwards until her lips were poised over Shego's. The green woman eyed her knowingly.

"Can we assist you with something, Princess?"

"Oh, don't say that." Kim cringed. "Also, don't apologize for the inconvenience."

"You don't get to say it either."

Shego pulled Kim towards her in an effort to stop Kim from ruining the moment with idle, nervous chatter. Their lips met and Kim made the decision that today she wasn't going to stop. She could spend her time forcing Shego to say a couple of words, or she could accept that Shego did feel for her, as evidenced by her actions. Of its own accord, her hand slipped under Shego's shirt and took to massaging the cool flesh it found.

Shego's head jerked back. "I…"

"You don't have to say anything." Kim husked. "I get it. I know."

"I like you." Shego whispered, just loud enough for Kim to hear.

* * *

**A/N: **Dundundun! There's only one more chapter left, by my calculations. This was originally going to be a comic, so it was designed to end whenever the heck I felt like it, but I don't think there's much more to say at the moment. This story has almost run its course. I appreciate both your patience with me putting out chapters and the reviews I receive - even if none of them state a willingness to go to class for me.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

The first letter arrived in February, innocuously pressed between her electric bill and an advertisement from a local dentist. When she grabbed her mail, she spent a few minutes staring at the dentist's wide smile and wondering if it was photoshopped, or if a human being could really have teeth that sparkling and straight. She tossed it into the trash can after ripping her name off to shred later.

As soon as she noticed the return address and the school crest of the next piece of mail, it became increasingly hard to swallow. She set the envelope down on her counter and went to the fridge. It was easier to think with a cold can of soda pressed to the back of her neck. She had to open it, she knew that. But… as long as it was closed, she wouldn't have to make a decision.

She felt as if it were watching her move about the kitchen, though if the gaze was reproachful or hopeful she wouldn't allow herself to speculate. Had she been a younger woman, she would have thrust the envelope into someone else's hands and begged him to open it for her. It was pointless putting it off, she knew that. She set the soda down next to the long white stressor.

"Okay. No matter what. It's okay." She counseled herself. "Just rip it, like a Band-Aid."

Her finger traced the seal and she licked her lips nervously. There were two outcomes – she either got in, or she didn't. Waiting wouldn't change what was written on the paper. It was ridiculous, she worried. Fine, she determined. She couldn't make someone else open it for her, but she could have someone talk her into doing it.

She fished her Kimmunicator out of her pocket and waited as patiently as she could for Ron to answer. It rang five times before heading to his voicemail. Perhaps it was fate telling her something. She sighed deeply and picked the envelope up once again. It felt like asking Josh Mankey to the dance all over again.

Closing her eyes, she dug her forefinger down and under and relished in the ripping noise that resulted. Holding the letter in her hands, she drew in a steadying breath and opened her eyes. Upon reading it, tears filled her eyes and dripped down her cheeks in haphazard lines. Her Kimmunicator jingled and she answered it, her voice hitching.

"What's the sitch?"

"You called me." Ron quickly noted her irregular breathing – a mixture of heaving and snuffling. "Uh, is something wrong?"

"I got in."

"That's great, K.P.!"

She pawed at her hands. "If it's so great, why am I such a mess?"

"Relief?"

She spluttered with laughter. "I would have been more relieved if I didn't get in."

"I don't get it."

"If I didn't get into medical school, I wouldn't have to choose later. I could just say I was going to school for engineering because medical school fell through."

"Maybe you won't get into the other schools?"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"I guess I just don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything."

"…Kind of weird that you wanted to talk to me, but not have me talk…" He attempted a joke to lighten the mood.

Kim grabbed a paper towel and dabbed her nose. "I actually called so you could talk me into opening it. But when you didn't answer… I just decided enough was enough."

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"You never miss my calls. What happened?"

A fierce blush rocketed up his cheeks and he rubbed the back of his neck. "I was… um… busy."

"Is Monique there?"

"No! …She left a few minutes ago."

"I didn't mean to interrupt."

"We were – uh – about done anyway." Ron cleared his throat.

"How are things going?"

"Good, I guess."

"You still haven't talked to her?"

"We just don't see the point in ruining a good thing."

The words sounded disjointed to Kim, as if Ron was cold-reading a script. "Is that what you think, or what Monique thinks?"

"Both of us." His tone firmed.

"You'd tell her if something wasn't good, right?" He grunted in response. "I don't want to, like, overstep my boundaries or anything, but you're both my friends – and I just don't want either of you to get hurt."

"We're big kids now, K.P."

"I know."

"But I still appreciate the concern. But the Ron-man knows what he's doin'."

"I'll believe that when he stops referring to himself as the 'Ron-man.' I do, however, believe that he can take care of himself."

"Things have been different…" Ron began. When Kim fell silent to let him finish, he tried again. "You sometimes seem like a totally different person. Like, I know it's you and all, but you don't treat me like a sidekick anymore – and I… I like it. You still joke with me, but I don't feel like the joke's on me anymore."

Kim's breath caught in her throat for the second time that day. "I never wanted to make you feel like just my sidekick."

"It's okay. It's in the past. I feel like now we're two adults who are friends – not like you're the great Kim Possible and I'm the comic relief."

"I'm so sorry."

"It's okay." He repeated. "Like I said, it's not like that anymore."

"Just tell me if it gets that way again."

He promised and their conversation swerved in other directions. Kim hung her acceptance letter on the fridge with a smiley face magnet and placed the can of soda back inside.

x-x-x

"Pause it."

Shego jammed the requested button and cocked her eyebrow at Kim. "What's there to bet about?"

"I bet she orders a venti."

"Fine. Grande."

Kim pushed a blue chip to the center of their table. Shego matched her bet. It had seemed like such a silly idea when Kim suggested it. But, as the redhead had reminded her, favors were for fist fights, and betting seemed pointless without stakes. So Shego found she couldn't resist Kim's pout and had put in for a set of poker chips.

When the screen began moving again, Karen ordered a grande iced latte with three sugars. Shego gleefully took the chips to her own pile while Kim sulked.

"Can we change the channel? I hate Karen."

"Well I happen to like her."

"It's not even fair! You win every bet. You've watched her before, haven't you?"

Shego held her hands up in front of her. "Someone's a little paranoid."

Kim snatched the remote. "Let me choose the channel."

"You're just going to choose some dumb goody-goody who'll make the kind of choices you would."

"That's the point, isn't it?"

"Fine. On one condition. We up the stakes." Shego couldn't help but waggle her eyebrows. She felt no shame, though, as Kim smiled back at her.

"What do you mean?"

"Simple. Each time you lose a bet, you have to lose a piece of clothing."

"Geeze, Shego, I swear you're really a fifteen year old boy."

"Under the extremely attractive mid-twenties super model woman?"

Kim rolled her eyes. "I guess I never said you were modest."

"Stop evading. Do you agree or not?"

"You're one to chastise me about evading things…"

"I thought we decided to let bygones be bygones?"

"I just got these clothes." Kim complained. She gestured to her new garb which was thankfully better fitting and more to her taste. The khaki capri pants set more comfortably around her waist, and the light pink sweater was in no danger of falling off her body. "You just want to get me naked."

"So what?" Shego snapped.

Sensing an abrupt mood swing, Kim shook her head. "Fine. I agree. Lemme choose a channel."

"And no choosing any of your family or friends."

Over the course of the past month, the two had spent a good deal of time flipping through channels and compiling a master list of relatives and friends – anyone, really, that either woman recognized and cared about. It was slow going, though, as they often got distracted by each other, their betting game, or Kim's need to move about. The real treat, though, was finding a person in a movie theater.

"I'm not a cheater like you."

"Are you insinuating that I'm a criminal?"

"So what if I am?"

Shego pounced across the table, scattering the chips. Kim squealed and ducked away, but not before Shego latched upon her midsection and began mercilessly pinching her sides. Eventually Kim caught the offending hands with an iron tight grip and growled at Shego, who merely looked cockily down at her.

"Want to try that again?"

"I hope you know you're picking up the chips."

"I say let the chips fall where they may." Shego tugged, but couldn't get her hands free. "Come on."

Kim released her grip and let Shego slink back to her chair. Satisfied that the danger had passed, she flipped through the channels until she settled upon a female child who looked about eight years old. Shego looked slightly disgruntled, but issued no complaint. For the first few minutes, they merely watched the girl as she swung on the monkey bars of what looked like a school playground.

"Pause it."

"What?"

"I bet she goes on the slide next."

Kim nodded. "I bet she does the monkey bars again."

A few minutes later had Kim peeling one of her socks off while Shego frowned. To Shego's consternation, it was very much so in the rules, as explained by Kim, to start one sock at a time. Betting on the swing set cost Kim the other sock, while betting that the little girl would have a sack lunch stripped Shego of her tank top.

"I'm glad I won at least one." Kim laughed. "Otherwise I'd really think you were rigging it."

"How do you know I didn't just lose on purpose to cast off your suspicion?"

"You are clearly a villainous mastermind." Kim conceded.

"Don't forget that."

x-x-x

"I bet she has a dog."

"I bet she isn't allowed to have pets."

Shego glanced Kim over before hitting play. The smaller woman had been reduced to her undergarments and Shego let her eyes rest on Kim's taut stomach for longer than was probably appropriate. For her part, Shego maintained her jeans and bra.

The girl on the screen burst through her front door and fell to the ground, allowing a slobbering golden retriever to bathe her face with his tongue. Shego paused the screen again and looked expectantly over at Kim.

"Oh. Guess I lost that one."

"Guess you did."

They stared at each other as the long seconds of their shared reality ticked onwards. Slowly Kim reached behind her back and fumbled with the latch of her bra. As she cast it aside, she was swallowed momentarily by a surge of modesty and covered her chest with her arms.

"So, um… next bet?"

She had expected Shego to be ogling her, but the pale green woman maintained eye contact, a rather serious expression on her features. With the passing of another hesitant moment, Kim dropped her arms away and tried to look anywhere but at Shego.

"Game's over."

Kim reluctantly returned her attention to Shego. "What? Why?"

"I'll be back later."

"No." Kim scrambled after Shego, who tried to depart posthaste. "You don't get to play this with me and then run away whenever you want. You can't do that anymore. You promised me…"

"I just can't… it was a stupid idea, okay? I don't know what I was thinking."

"Is it me?" Kim picked up her discarded sweater and pushed her arms through it. Shego caught the hem of it and made it impossible for Kim to redress.

"It's not you – no. You're…" Shego's brow crinkled. There were so many words she wanted to say to Kim, to describe the effect the other woman had on her – how her heart hammered and her mouth watered, how she felt she could look at Kim's body forever. "You're… fine."

After so much time with Shego, Kim had come to understand that there were things that Shego couldn't vocalize, and her callous attitude was most often used to hide that fact. She dropped the sweater to the floor once again and tugged Shego closer to her. Shego was stiff in her arms, but Kim persisted in her hug until Shego relaxed.

"I don't want to push you too hard." Kim soothed. "If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. But please don't just run away on me. Talk about damaging to my ego, right?"

Shego snorted at Kim's joke. "We might as well pick up the chips."

"I thought we were letting them fall where they may."

"I don't want to step on one later after light's out."

While Shego bent over to begin clean up, Kim pulled her pants back on and refastened her bra. Although it had been a bit of a joke earlier, her ego was slightly bruised by Shego's disinterest and she felt more comfortable back in her clothes. Shego's face darkened momentarily when Kim slid the sweater back on, but her frown disappeared before Kim could comment.

A ball of light rippled into being just beside Shego's shoulder. "Greetings. We apologize for the inconvenience."

Shego jerked away. "Don't you ever knock?"

"I am sorry, but I do not understand."

Kim coughed to gain the ball's attention. "Are you here for a reason?"

"Yes. We have investigated your claim fully."

"And…?"

"We apologize for the mix up." The ball flickered. "Your assertions were deemed to be true."

"So… I can go back?"

"That is currently not possible."

Shego's first instinct was to run when Kim sounded so hopeful about returning to reality. Determined not to give in to her lesser urges, she crossed to Kim's side and placed a hand on Kim's shoulder.

"What do you mean, not possible?" Shego filled in when Kim was struck speechless.

"There is currently no method in place for ejecting a soul that is properly attached to a server. A disconnect is too difficult to manufacture."

"Can't you just… I don't know… perform some sort of soul-ectomy?"

"We apologize, but that remedy is not currently at our disposal."

"What remedy is?"

"We will make your stay here as comfortable as we can." Kim turned and buried her face into Shego's shoulder. "Should the soul designated as Vivian Porter become disconnected in the future, you will have first claim on your server."

Shego tightened her grip on Kim and relished in the fact that though this was bad news, Kim felt like she belonged in Shego's arms. Even as moisture speckled her skin, Shego was struck by how good it could feel to stick around, to confront what she wanted head on. She drew back and tilted Kim's face up so that she could use her thumb to wipe away the tears.

"How?"

The ball drifted closer. "I do not understand your request."

"How will you make my stay comfortable?"

"You may file requests at the help desk as often as you deem fit."

"Can we be the official welcoming committee?"

"I do not understand."

"Shego and I – can we formally be called the welcoming committee? We'd meet souls as they came in and make sure they are aware of the circumstances and surroundings."

"I am not authorized to offer employment."

"It was worth a try." Kim gave Shego a watery smile. "We can do it on our own anyway."

"If you have further questions, you may file them at the help desk." The ball waited a moment and then disappeared once again.

Kim dove back against Shego's chest and ducked her face into the bare flesh. Shego rubbed Kim's back and closed her eyes.

x-x-x

"Welcome!" Kim grabbed the stumbling man's arm before he could go sprawling to the ground.

"What's going on? Who are you? Where am I? How'd I get here?"

"This may be hard to swallow, sir, but you are the waiting room – otherwise known as Shanty Town. You're here because you got knocked loose from your body somehow. I'm Kim, by the way, and the grouchy woman by the wall is Shelley."

"Shego."

Kim rolled her eyes at the correction. "Fine. That's Shego. We're here to make sure you get settled in for your stay. If you have any questions, just let us know."

"I…" He grabbed his head with both hands and blinked slowly. "This is a dream, isn't it?"

"If that'll keep you from having a breakdown of some sort, sure." Shego grunted. She pushed off the wall and gestured for the man to follow her. "We'll show you around."

"Thanks?"

"What are you in for?"

Kim smacked Shego's shoulder. "You sound like this is prison."

Shego shrugged. "I repeat: What're you in for?"

"The ball thing… said something about a twenty-two?"

Kim picked up a manual and placed it into his hands. "This is yours. Keep track of it. It'll keep you updated on what they're doing to get you reconnected to your body."

They left the man – Robert, he told them, but he preferred Bobby – in a shack with the manual open on his lap. Despite Shego's resistance, Kim promised they'd be back later on to check on him and make sure things were going smoothly.

"I don't get it." Shego admitted as they walked back to their own home. "Why do you insist on doing this?"

"Being here is no reason to stop living. If we can keep people awake, I think we can make this place more bearable over all. Imagine being here with people walking around, talking to each other – talking to us."

"You're tired of me already." Shego tousled Kim's hair. "It's a nice thought, Princess."

"Why do you still insist on the pet names?"

"Maybe I mean them now."

Kim anticipated a different answer from her surly companion and was pleased by the honesty in Shego's voice. "Can I give you a pet name?"

"Oh God." Shego groaned. "Shego is a pet name. Isn't that good enough?"

"There's a difference between a nickname and a pet name. And Shego just sounds so… like you're supposed to be an evil blue guy's associate, or a teen girl superhero."

"It's just what I've been called for years. Doesn't need to change."

"I suppose not, but I'd like a name that only I get to call you."

A moment of silence passed before Shego offered up, hesitantly, "You can call me your sea-shell."

"I think I'd like that." Kim encroached on Shego's personal space and kissed the tip of Shego's nose. "My sea-shell."

"Are you going to be okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"With staying here. With me."

"Just don't try to run out on me when I'm topless and I think I could be convinced that it's not so bad here."

"You're a lot more adjusted than I thought you'd be."

Kim spread her arms. "I had a choice. I could get angry and sad that I'm stuck here. That would probably lead to depressions and a whole lot of screaming why at the sky. Or I could say, yeah, this is where I am and nothing I do is going to change that. I can try to be happy."

"Are you?" Shego caught Kim's gaze. "Happy, I mean."

"I think so."

Made confident by Kim's easy smile, Shego smirked. "Because of me, right?"

"Well, yeah. I like you, dork."

"I thought we already discussed my pet name."

"I reserve the right to make any changes I see fit." Kim stuck her tongue out. As they approached their home, Kim opened the door for Shego before following her inside. "It's my privilege."

"…"

"What was that?"

Shego scuffed her foot along the floor. "I guess I like you, too."

It would get easier with time, Kim knew. It wouldn't feel like yanking teeth for Shego to say those simple words. Until then, she was willing to be patient. She tugged on Shego's shirt and cocked her eyebrows.

"You did good today. Not biting that man's head off for staring at my chest was personal growth, my sea-shell."

Shego soaked in the attention, and was pleasantly warmed by the pet name. "Yeah?"

"Yeah." Kim tugged upwards on the top and forced it over Shego's head.

x-x-x

"This is the best." Kim inhaled deeply and let her nostrils fill with the delicious scents of finely cooked food.

Ann smiled at her daughter – her very alive and active daughter. "I made your favorites on purpose, you know."

"I know."

"Your father will be down in a few minutes. I was hoping to talk to you for a minute."

"What's up?"

"One of the schools you applied to called here."

Kim's lips twitched. "What did it have to say?"

"I didn't know you applied to engineering programs." Ann ignored Kim's aside. She stepped closer. "I just wanted you to know that I don't think less of you. If you don't want to go to medical school, I'm just glad you figured it out now – and not after a few years and a hundred thousand dollars of debt."

Kim accepted Ann's hug eagerly. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything to you. I wanted to see if I got in, so I could examine my options – so that maybe it wouldn't even be an issue."

"Kim, I have no doubt you'll succeed at anything you put your mind to."

"Anything's possible for a Possible." Kim intoned. Her tone was sarcastic, but both women believed the statement as truth.

James entered the room shortly thereafter, once he was certain his wife had had ample opportunity and time for the conversation. He'd been patiently waiting in the other room as she'd requested. But the smell of food had been too strong a lure for long.

"So have you picked a school?"

Kim was about to slip her fork into her mouth, but paused at her father's question. "I'm not sure yet. I want to get a response from everywhere I applied before I do any major decision making."

"But you must have a ranking system. If you get into school A, that's where you want to go. If that fails, school B and so on."

"I like all the places I applied. I wouldn't have applied otherwise." Kim followed through on the bite of food waiting on her fork.

Ann placed a hand on James' sleeve. "I'm sure she'll make a great decision when the time comes."

"Can you imagine if she went to my old alma mater?"

Kim ate quietly. Her parents chattered on, switching topics several times before Kim was ready to speak again. She set her fork down.

"I'm thinking about your old school, Dad. While they have a great astrophysics department, their robotics program leaves a lot to be desired." Kim responded finally. "But I'm still thinking about it."

"Robotics?"

"That's kind of what I'm into."

At a stern look from Ann, James grinned. "Maybe you can build equipment for the rockets at the Space Center."

While it wasn't quite the response she was looking for, Kim was content with this modicum of support James was willing to provide. "Yeah, maybe."

"How's Ronald doing?"

"He's doing well. He's been spending a lot of time with Monique."

"He'd best be careful." James dabbed his mouth with a napkin. "You know how enthusiastic that boy gets."

"Oh believe me, he knows it too." Kim laughed. "I've talked to him about it. He knows what he's doing."

"Do you have any classes with him this semester?"

Kim shook her head. "He's in his advanced business classes, and I'm taking all of those science classes I need."

"You two have certainly grown up." Ann helped herself to another serving of mashed potatoes. "I'm so proud of both of you."

"I'll be sure to let him know."

"Tell him to come home with you one weekend. We'll feed him." Ann promised.

x-x-x

Shego stood at the door and tried several times to voice the varied thoughts scrambling madly through her brain. It was so easy to bark out reactionary comments and snippy remarks, but she always struggled with saying things that actually mattered. This was no different. Her hand rested on the door frame and tensed each time her mouth opened and clicked shut.

"I..." Shego coughed roughly, attempting to cover up another failed attempt at speech.

This was dumb, she thought suddenly. It had felt right before – coming to say good bye properly, that was – but now, standing in front of the damn door, it felt wrong. Foolish. Nothing she said would reach Bonnie's ears. It was futile attempt at making herself feel less guilty.

A vision of Kim arose in her mind, smiling encouragement at her. She took a few breaths to give herself time to think.

"I know you can't really hear me," she started, "but I feel like this ought to be said anyway."

She glanced around and assured herself that nobody was near enough to hear her talk. That truly would have been the icing on her embarrassment cake – if someone could hear her stuttering and stumbling through her feelings.

"I know I shouldn't have let you leave without saying something. I liked you just fine. Kim told me what you said and… well, it made me regret a lot of things. Not caring enough about if you were happy. Not doing right by you often enough. Not being honest with you. It's meaningless now, but I'd take it back now. Well, that's not one hundred percent true."

Shego paused, working things through in head once more before continuing. "I'd take back not saying good bye. I'd take back letting you think you should leave. But I'm glad you chose to do something for yourself. I hope things are good on the other side. Whatever's there, I mean. I choose to imagine you're happy over there. Like it's some sort of damn day spa or something."

A few people walked slowly behind her, a bit too near for her comfort. Shego watched them suspiciously until they were a safe distance away before placing her hand on the door knob. It was cold under her palm, but most things were in comparison to her normal skin temperature. She jiggled the knob, but didn't bother opening the door – it wouldn't help.

"I think – I've been thinking about what you told Kim, about happiness. That maybe you left because I found a way to be happy. And… I think Kim makes me happy. In a different way than you did." Her words dropped to whispers, the closer they lay to her heart. "Don't you dare tell a soul I'm admitting this. But you're right. I don't want her to leave me. I want her to stay with me here."

Shego turned around. She'd said her piece and it was time to walk away. Perhaps Bonnie had heard her, but it was irrelevant. She needed to say it, but not necessarily for anyone to hear. Kim was probably waiting at Bonnie's shack, though she was going to talk to Kim about renaming the building. It was Bonnie's home before, but it was theirs now.

x-x-x

Kim fit snugly against Shego. Their cot had been upgraded after Kim grew sick of Shego's complaints. The space in their home was limited, but Kim had requested something better than a worn out mattress. The light balls had in turn replaced the cot with what felt like she imagined a twin sized Tempur-Pedic would feel.

"We're going to have to be careful." Shego murmured. "Too easy to fall asleep on this."

"Do you think we could dream here?"

"It's pointless to wonder about. Neither of us is going to sleep."

"I can still be curious."

"Shouldn't you be checking in on Bobby?" Shego somehow managed to make the man's name sound like a curse.

"I'm comfortable."

"When I was five, my grandma gave me a quilt." Shego's mouth was just above Kim's ear and each exhalation warmed Kim's skin. "She made it out of a bunch of my baby clothes. I refused to sleep with anything else on my bed for the longest time. You want to talk about comfort?"

"That's cute."

Shego nipped at Kim's neck. "Don't use that word when referencing anything to do with me."

"But it's true. That's really cute."

Shego dragged her hands down Kim's sides just hard enough to make the presence of her nails known, but incurring no real damage. "Stop that."

"What's wrong, sea-shell?" Kim teased.

It wasn't fair, Shego determined. That name from Kim's lips shouldn't make her insides squirm like it did. She pressed the smaller woman closer to her. "Stop trying to ruin the moment."

"My five year old bed had Pocahontas sheets." Kim confided.

"That racist bullshit?"

"It was my favorite Disney movie at the time. Besides, who didn't like the raccoon?"

"You had questionable taste." Shego sniffed. "My favorite at five was the one with all the dogs."

"Lady and the Tramp? Or 101 Dalmatians?"

"The Dalmatians one. I wanted to be Cruella Deville so badly. She was so cool."

"She was trying to kill puppies."

"That's beside the point. She knew what wanted and how to get it, even when everyone told her no. I liked that as a kid."

"Luckily nobody's going to tell you no here."

"They better not." Shego flared up her plasma and trailed it along Kim's arm.

"We really should check on Robby."

"Bobby."

"Sure." Kim acceded. "I knew you cared."

"I do not."

"It's too late. I know your secret." The look of pure affronted disgust on Shego's face made Kim chuckle. "Okay, okay. I'm just kidding."

"You better be." Shego sniffed.

As Kim pulled away and stood up, she stretched her arms above her head. "We should fight again sometime soon."

"How about I teach you some tricks first?"

"You'd give me an advantage like that?"

"I don't want to break the only toy I have."

"Glad to know you care."

Shego scooped her up from behind and carried her struggling quarry outside into the fake light. Kim squirmed for a while but finally cuddled into Shego's muscular grasp. As far as being trapped went, this reality with Shego left little to complain about. She twisted her face and kissed Shego's throat. It wasn't perfect, but it was fun and engaging and free.

* * *

**A/N: **This is updated with an additional scene. I felt that I shouldn't have added the epilogue on the end to this - it felt rushed and just tacked on. So the epilogue is an additional chapter now, and there's the new scene in here to adjust the word count. Hopefully this fixes my problem.


	11. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Kim couldn't remember how long she'd been there with Shego. It felt like she'd been spooned against the taller woman for her entire life, and barely remembered a time before Shego had snootily insinuated herself in Kim's life. It was a subversive move, one that both of them remembered differently. Shego still insisted that it was all Kim's doing, while Kim preferred to think Shego was responsible.

Every day when the light turned on, she pulled herself from Shego's grasp and kissed her partner soundly. While Shego roused herself, Kim dressed herself in the discarded clothing that cluttered the floor of their home. Sleeping had been a recent development, within the past three years or so. It seemed that remaining lively wasn't difficult when each had someone else to live for.

Most mornings both women took their time with their respective tasks – Shego so that she could watch Kim's nude body; Kim so that Shego could watch her nude body. When both were awake and dressed, they made their rounds. It had taken years but Kim's vision had a semblance of truth now. People actively greeted them, some asking questions and others just sending a friendly hello as they passed by hand in hand. Kim made it a personal goal to talk to every person every day, if only just an encouraging word or two.

Once that ritual was complete, Kim and Shego scuffled on their front lawn. The lawn chairs had been discarded in favor of more room for sparring. Though it looked fairly brutal to the gawking onlookers, neither was trying to hurt the other. Eventually one would surrender, as they'd discovered in previous years that waiting for one to be a clear victor would leave them battling continuously. Favors had been exchanged for kisses.

"C'mon." Shego snagged Kim around the waist. "Let's go check your soaps before mine."

Kim suffered the indignity of being carried inside with a muted frown. "I have legs, Shego."

"And I have arms," came the snide reply.

Every day Kim checked in her family. Her brothers were grown, each married, though only Tim had children. There were days when Kim was struck with an intense sadness – that she'd missed their graduations, their weddings, and the birth of her nieces. Shego was always there to hug her tightly and whisper in her ear.

"What's wrong with the screen?" Kim questioned. Her hand tightened around the remote. Her father's channel was blank.

Shego slammed the top of the television. "Maybe it just…" She was about to say 'died,' but the word never left her lips. "Broke."

"Is this what happened to you?" With a hint of reluctance, Shego nodded. "So that means… he's probably… you know…"

"I'm sorry." Shego practically tackled Kim back onto the bed. "But yes."

It was an odd sensation, Kim thought, to feel such an amalgamation of emotions all at once. There was a rippling sadness at the passing of her father, a tight numbness that spread across her chest at the thought of her body mourning him without her, and a fear that started small but exploded through her stomach.

"Everyone I know…" Kim closed her eyes. "Sooner or later, right?"

"Yes."

"But not us."

"Not unless that's what you want."

Kim pried an eye open. "I don't want that. I want forever with you. My sea-shell."

Shego kissed her forehead. "I love you, Princess."

"You'd better."

"And I really am sorry about your pops."

"Me, too."

They snuggled together on their bed, in their home. Both thought of the emergency exit and how they may someday cross through it. But if they did, it would most certainly be together.

* * *

**A/N: **The previous chapter now holds an additional scene to replace this. I thought moving this to its own chapter would help with the overall flow. Very little has changed here.


End file.
